In the Blink of an Eye
by Imagination.To.Paper
Summary: Following the season 2 finale, Mariana, Jesus, and Ana are in a car accident and Stef is the first responder. How will the family deal with the resulting tragic events, and will they be able to help put their broken family members back together? Warning: Possible triggers. (Continuation from One-Shot of Now That's What I Call Family)
1. Chapter 1

**This is a story I had originally started in my one shot compilation of Now That's What I Call Family. However, I got some good ideas and wanted to make it it's own story, since I have at least 4 chapters for it.**

 **This chapter has already been posted on there, but the second chapter will be up shortly!**

 **Thanks!**

* * *

Black. That was all Mariana could see when the car finally came to a stop.

Although she could only see black, she could hear. She could hear everything.

 _Open your eyes._ Mariana told herself, trying to gain back her sight. Her eyelids felt heavy and after trying a few times, she frustratedly gave up. She tried to think back to what had happened.

 _The car._

 _Anna._

 _Jesus._

 _Jesus!_ Mariana suddenly found a new burst of energy to pry her eyes open and take in her surroundings. The top of the car had crunched down, almost fully ontop of her, making it impossible to move- though that didn't stop her from trying.

"AHHHHHH!" Mariana's scream startled herself as she tried to move, but a searing pain flooded her body. She tried to look around to see where her brother was, but as soon as she tried to move her neck, she was hit with another wave of pain. A sob racked her body and the pain continued.

Suddenly, Mariana began to panic. She was in so much pain that she couldn't think straight and she had no idea where her birth mother or twin were. Finally, she realized the only thing that was really working was her mouth. She inhaled deeply, pushing past the pain that she felt and let out a scream. Once she couldn't go any longer without taking a breath, she gulped in air and the tears began to fall.

 _Help._

* * *

Stef sighed. She was so looking forward to celebrating Callie's news when she was called in on an emergency car accident. She told herself thatd take care of what needed to be done so she could quickly get back to her family.

Turning onto the street of the accident, Stef could hear the sounds of an ambulance and fire truck also approaching.

 _Man this must be bad._ She thought to herself.

As she pulled up closer, her heart began to beat faster when she saw the state of the two cars. Pulling over to a complete stop, Stef's breathing picked up when she looked at the two cars. _No._ She thought to herself as she slowly got out of the car, taking time to determine if what she was seeing was really true.

 _"Hey mom can Ana drive Jesus and me home?"_ Stef remembered MAriana asking her after the dance competition.

 _"Sure, sweets. But don't be late. We're having celebration cake!"_

 _"Ohhh goodie! Thanks, mom! I love you!"_ Stef recalled the pure excitement on her daughter's face as she leaned in to hug the young girl.

 _"Love you too."_

Stef snapped out of her mini flashback as she walked closer to the cars and her eyes landed on the license plate.

 _No. No. No no no no!_ She thought as she quickened her pace and made it to the car. She flashed her badge to a paramedic who was on his way over to the car as well. Suddenly, she heard a scream. A scream that she had heard often when the twins had first started living with them. A scream of terror and fright. A scream that came from her daughter.

"Mari!?" Stef yelled out, though the scream continued. Stef ran over to the back door of the car and tried to peak in, though it was difficult due to the way the car had been smashed.

The scream finally stopped, so Stef tried again. "Mariana!" She made her way over to the other side of the car in the hopes that she would have better access. When she got there, she stopped short at the sight.

"Jesus?" She called out to her son whose head was hanging out of the window, blood caked on his face. "Jesus? Baby." Stef said, quieter this time as she made her way towards her son. As she reached out to touch his face, she was pulled back by a paramedic.

"Officer don't touch him. We need to stabilize his head."

Stef was so wrapped up in the sight of her children that she forgot that she was there as an officer.

"Officer?" The paramedic asked, tilting his head in confusion as the blonde continued to simply stare at the boy.

Stef nodded and backed away, watching as the paramedic began to assess her son.

"Pulse is weak but there. Need a stretcher, brace, and fluids." He called out, causing Stef to release the breath she had been holding.

 _He's alive._

"Mommy!" Mariana's plea pulled Stef out of her trance and she jumped into action, turning towards the back of the car.

There, pinned under the roof of the crushed car, covered in blood, was her baby girl.

"Mari, baby!" Stef cried out, hoping the girl would be able to hear her.

At the sound of her mother's voice, Mariana tried to turn her head, but screamed out in pain.

"Shhh baby. You're ok. Don't try to move." Stef explained as she looked around for another paramedic. "Mommy is right here, baby girl. We're gonna get you outa there." She assured her daughter.

Three other paramedics made their way towards Stef rolling two stretchers.

"Ma'am." One of them said gently placing a hand on Stef's shoulder. Having heard her talking to the girl, they all knew she was the mother to the children in the car and needed to be talked to like a parent, not like a police officer.

Stef looked up at the woman who smiled at her. "Is this your daughter?"

Stef nodded almost robotically as the paramedics began to assess the scene.

"Mommy!" Mariana's voice cut through Stef's heart and the mother turned her attention back to her daughter.

"Ma'am I know you want to help her, but you need to let us do our job." The paramedic said, trying to pull the blonde away from the car.

"Mommy where are you?!" Mariana called out again when she didn't hear a response.

"I'm right here, baby. Mariana I am right here!" Stef replied, almost forgetting that there was a paramedic holding onto her arm.

"Mariana." The paramedic began, hoping to soothe both the girl and her mother. "My name is Lisa. I'm a paramedic. Can you hear me?"

"Yeah." a small voice responded.

"Ok sweetie. My friends and I are gonna get you out of there but you're gonna need to help us out. You think you can do that?" She asked.

"Where's my mommy?" Her voice sounded small.

"She is waiting right here for you. So let's get you out so you can see her, ok?" The paramedic asked gently.

"Ok."

"Great job, sweetie!"

As the paramedic began to ask the young girl questions in order to best decide how to get her out, Stef felt a buzzing in her pocket. Slowly, hahnds trembling, she pulled out her phone and looked down at the screen.

 _Did you make it to the scene? Will you be home by dinner?_ Stef sighed at her wife's text but didn't reply. She wanted to have something more to tell her when she finally called her- knowing the mother would want to be here, but still thinking about three other children.

"Ma'am?" Stef was pulled out of her thoughts as Lisa walked back over to her.

"Sorry what?" Stef tried to concentrate.

"I asked if you knew the driver. Was she related to you?" Lisa asked gently.

 _Knew? Was?_ Stef swallowed thickly. "Uhh yeah. She uhh.." She didn't really want to explain the relationship at the moment. "Is she ok?" She finally asked.

Lisa closed her eyes for a moment and looked back up at Stef with remorse.

That's all Stef needed to know to understand that Ana didn't make it.

But Stef couldn't focus on her right now. She needed to focus on her children.

"Officer?" Stef was once again pulled out of her dazy thoughts by the paramedic.

"Hmm?"

"I said we're taking your son in the first ambulance now. Would you like to go with him or stay with your daughter?"

Stef looked back and forth at her two children. She wished Lena was there with her to help her think straight. However, Mariana's sudden cry made her decision. "I'm going to stay here. I'll tell my wife to meet the ambulance at the hospital." She determined- knowing she now had to tell her wife the terrible news.

"Alright." Lisa answered and gave the ok to the ambulance driver before walking back towards Mariana. "I'm gonna need you to stand back so we can get the jaws of life in here." She said gently, knowing that the mother was already terrified.

Stef nodded before walking over towards the car to reassure her daughter before calling her wife. "Mariana, baby." Stef called out.

"Mommy I'm scared! Please- please mommy help me!" Mariana begged and Stef's heart broke.

"Baby the paramedics are gonna get you out and I'm gonna call Mama. Then we're all going to go see Jesus, ok?" Stef tried to use the names of her family in order for the girl to comply.

"Mommyyyy" Mariana wailed- breaking Stef's heart even more.

"My sweet girl." Stef said, tears now flowing down her cheeks, "I'll be right here when they're done." She said before looking at Lisa to instruct her to continue. She knew they needed to work fast so she could physically get to her daughter.

Once Lisa and the rest of the paramedics began to work on getting Mariana out, Stef pulled out her phone. She knew this was going to be a difficult call and that Lena would want to be with Mariana, but truthfully, she needed her to be at the hospital in case anything happened with Jesus. She would never forgive herself if anything happened to him and no one was there.

* * *

"Hey babe! You coming home already?" Lena answered the phone happily after seeing her wife's name on the screen. Little did she know that happiness would soon be gone.

"Uhh no. I... um" Stef stammered. She hadn't thought out what she was going to actually say to her wife when she dialed her number.

"Stef? What's wrong?" Lena asked, stopping what she was doing and giving all of her attention to her wife. "Stefanie!" She exclaimed after only a moment of science, because it felt like ages.

"Uhhh there.. there was a car accident." Stef began, knowing she just needed to continue in order to get it out without breaking down.

"Who?" Lena began but Stef continued.

"Mariana and Jesus." Stef heard Lena gasp but she continued to speak. "I dono how. Ana's dead. Jesus is on his way to the hospital now. I'm staying here with Mariana until they can get her out of the car. I need you to go to the hospital." Stef spoke quickly, hoping to keep her emotions at bay a little while longer.

"Wha... how... Oh my god." Lena stammered as she threw a hand over her mouth, feeling like she was about to be sick.

"Lena!" Stef raised her voice in order for her wife to hear her. "I know you're scared, but I have to stay here with Mari and that means I need you to go to the hospital with Jesus." Stef instructed, knowing she had to be the tough one at the moment.

"Ok." Lena replied quietly, trying to pull herself together at the sight of her other children entering the room after her outburst. "I love you. Tell Mari I love her and I'll be waiting for her." Lena ended before Stef could reply, not able to handle her wife's voice again without breaking down.

"Mom?" Jude was the first to speak after a few moments of silence.

Lena took a deep breath, wiped the tears that had fallen and turned to her children. "Ok. I don't want any of you to panic, but the twins were in a car accident."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she could see the tears forming in all of her children's eyes, making her own tears form once more.

"But mom said they're going to be ok. She is with Mariana and we need to go to the hospital to be with Jesus. Ok?" She continued as she angrily wiped her tears once more and mustered up a small smile. "Ok so come on." She continued as she grabbed her purse and started walking towards the front door.

Silently, the three children followed their mother, knowing it was best not to say anything, but taking comfort in one another as their emotions took over.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for baring with me and the change of stories! I just got a lot of feedback for this particular shot and had some ideas for a story that would be longer than the one shot.**

 **Here is chapter 2! Thanks for reading! Ya'll are rockstars!**

* * *

Stef exhaled as she ended the call with Lena. Her brain was cluttered with so many thoughts that she didn't know what she should do first. The sounds of the giant machine made her decision for her as she ran over as close to the car as she was aloud and waited for the paramedics to free her daughter.

While she waited, she finally had a chance to take in the scene. Both cars were clearly wrecked, but as she looked over at the other van, she saw that no one was in it. Crinkling her forehead in confusion, she walked over towards the vacant van and looked around. The front door was open, but there was no trace of any human.

Before she could ask one of the officers where the other driver was, the machine stopped and she could hear cries from her daughter.

The blonde quickly made her way over towards the car where three paramedics were preparing to lift Mariana out of the car and onto a stretcher.

Nearing the girl, her heart broke when she saw the look of sheer terror and helplessness on her face.

"You're doing so well, my baby girl." Stef praised as tears filled her eyes.

"Mommy!" Mariana cried out, not caring that she probably sounded like a child.

"I'm right here, baby. I'm right here and I'm not leaving you." Stef promised and tried to get close enough so her daughter could see her without moving her head around in the neck brace that they just placed on her.

"I want Mama" The girl whimpered with fresh tears in her eyes.

Stef smoothed some of the hair away from her daughter's sticky forehead and sighed. "Mama is going to meet us at the hospital. She's with Jesus right now, ok, my love?" She asked gently as the paramedics began to pick up what they needed and roll her towards the ambulance.

Being temporarily out of her mother's sight, Mariana began to sob once more. "Mom! Please don't leave! Where are you? Mom!"

Stef hurried next to the stretcher as one of the paramedics addressed the distraught girl.

"Your mom is right here, sweetie. We're just gonna get you into the ambulance and your mom can hold you hand as soon as we get everything settled in, ok?"

Mariana's response was only a whimper, but the tears continued to silently fall as she was pushed into the vehicle.

Stef quickly jumped into the ambulance and took a seat next to her daughter's head. She reached over and held onto the Latina's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I love you, Mari." She whispered as she bent down and kissed the fingers.

"I love you, mommy." Came the reply.

Stef exhaled deeply as the back doors were closed and the ambulance began to move. She was just praying that Lena would make it to the hospital safely, and that Jesus was going to be alright when she got there.

* * *

"Jesus Adams Foster?" Lena spoke quickly and with authority as soon as she and the other three children made it into the waiting room.

The room had become all too familiar to the children, as they had been there too many times for their liking- but they quickly sat down in the chairs, knowing they needed to wait for Lena to take care of formalities before they should ask questions.

"No. He was in a car accident. My wife was at the scene and she called me and told me he was being taken here." Lena tried to explain, though her emotions were getting the best of her. "Can you please just tell me if he is alright? Anything? Please?" Her voice cracked as a sob slipped out.

"Ma'am I'm sorry all I can tell you right now is that he is in surgery but I promise to keep you updated." The nurse replied with a sad smile. "I truly am sorry." She added before turning to answer an incoming call.

Huffing in frustration and panic, Lena carded her fingers through her hair as she turned around and faced her three other children who had been extremely cooperative and helpful since she got off the phone with Stef. She could see the terror in their eyes and body language and she knew she needed to pull herself together to be there for her children.

"They're gonna be ok." She stated as she walked over to the teens and sat down next to Jude.

"Did mom say what..." Brandon began to say before Lena shook her head.

"She couldn't talk long. But I'm hoping that means she just needed to be there for Mariana. And that she's alright as well." She added the last part for her own sanity. She couldn't even begin to imagine if she lost any of her children.

"They're both fighters." Brandon spoke up once again, trying to diffuse the anxiety in the room. "I mean Jesus can really throw a good punch when he wants to." He added with a smile, remembering all of the physical fights they got into when they were kids.

Lena chuckled at the thought. "You're right, B. They sure are fighters."

* * *

"Mari, baby look at mommy." Stef said for what felt like the hundredth time in the ambulance. Once they were all settled in and the vehicle began to move, the two paramedics in the back with Stef and her daughter began to hook her up to machines to monitor her and start an IV.

Every so often, Mariana would begin to close her eyes, and, not knowing the extent of her injuries, the paramedics began to instruct her to keep her eyes open. Stef quickly took over this task when the teen responded better to her mother's voice.

"Mariana. Come on." Stef said again when her eyes remained closed.

Slowly, the Latina opened her eyes and was met by the face of the blonde. "Hi, my love!" Stef said with a teary-eyed smile as she reached over to brush some of the hair away from her daughter's eyes. "You're doing such a good job!" She praised, hoping to keep the girl's attention until they reached the hospital.

Slowly, the girl's eyes began to flutter closed and once more, Stef took her hand and squeezed it gently as she spoke. "No, Mariana baby open you eyes. Come on, baby." She pleaded.

Opening her eyes a tiny bit, the teen let out a sob. "I don't feel good, mommy." She stated and Stef could sense that the girl was about to vomit.

"It's ok, baby." She responded to the girl as one of the paramedics reached over to turn her on her side and the other one got a bucket out; both also understanding what was about to happen.

"I'm gonna throw up." Mariana stated as her body began to heave, causing her intense pain.

Tears poured out as she continued to vomit and her already bruised body shook. "Mommy" She barely spat out and Stef's heart broke for her child. All she could do was watch as her daughter sobbed for her help. She hated not being able to do anything.

"I know, sweetheart. I'm so sorry. But we're almost there. You're doing such a good job. Just a few more minutes." Stef reassured the girl as she wiped her mouth and planted a few soft kisses on her forehead.

* * *

As soon as the ambulance pulled into the hospital, the paramedics began shouting out stats and other information to the doctors who were there to meet them at the door. Stef followed quickly, but was stopped by a nurse from following them behind a set of large double doors.

"I'm sorry, ma'am but you'll have to wait in the waiting room. The doctors will come out with information when they can." She informed the mother and gently guided her towards the waiting area.

"Stef!" Lena's voice cut through the blonde's thoughts and she soon felt her wife's arms wrap around her. "How is she? How is my baby?" She asked with tears running down her face.

Stef was still taking time to process everything that had happened and remained silent.

Taking this as bad news, Lena grabbed ahold of her wife's arms and looked at her in the eyes. "Stef! What's happening?"

Blinking back to the present, she smiled sadly and spoke. "Sorry, I'm just... nothing. Uhhh she's ok... er I think. They wouldn't let me go with her. But they took her in huh they took her to the ummm they..." Stef's head was spinning with too many thoughts and she began to feel light headed.

"Mom! Sit down!" Brandon said suddenly. He had stood up to greet his mother when she first walked in and noticed she was swaying on her feet.

Lena looked at Brandon and then back to Stef and nodded. "Brandon't right. You should sit for a bit." She concluded as she led her wife down to the chairs.

"Here" Callie said, holding out a cup of water, which she had gone to get quickly before they got her sitting.

Stef looked up at her daughter and exhaled with a small smile. "Thanks, sweets."

She took hold of the cup and greedily drank the water, causing Lena to worry slightly. "Slow down, Stef. Take some breaths." She knew that being a responder to a car accident that her children were in had to be frightening, and not being able to be with both children was eating her up inside.

"Wait. Stef" Lena began realizing the missing person. "Where's Ana?"

Stef closed her eyes and looked down, shaking her head. Lena's hand flew up her her mouth and tears formed in her eyes. "What about the baby?" She asked and Stef merely shrugged her shoulders. It was no secret that neither mother particularly liked Ana, but she was having a child and beginning to turn her life back around, so they felt for her and for her hard work towards trying to get to know her children.

"They're gonna be ok." Was all Lena could muster up to say at the time being. And as she sat there with her wife and children, she prayed that she would be correct.

* * *

"For Mariana Adams Foster?"

All 5 family members shot up at the sound of the doctor's voice almost an hour later. They didn't do much of anything besides sit in silence for the entire duration of the waiting period.

"Yes. How is she?" Stef asked quickly, trying to remain calm for whatever answer that was going to come from the doctor.

"She sustained three broken ribs, a broken wrist, and a concussion. Along with some bruising and cuts around her face and shoulders." He began lightly, sensing the worry in all of the family members. "She will make a full recovery, however it will be a long road there. The ribs will take the longest and she needs to be monitored for her concussion."

Stef bit her lip to keep the tears at bay while Lena nodded her head.

"What about Jesus?" Brandon asked suddenly. Although the two fought endlessly, Brandon always took it upon himself to look after his younger siblings and although the news about his sister wasn't great, at least he knew what was happening with her.

The doctor looked over his charts before looking at the family. "He is with Dr. Anderson at the moment, but I'll try and reach him to see if he has an update." He replied.

"Thank you" Lena said with a small smile as she squeezed Brandon's arm in reassurance.

"Can we see Mariana?" Stef finally found her voice and asked.

Looking at the 5 people in front of him, he quickly made a decision. "Are you her..." He began before Stef cut him off.

"We're her mothers."

Nodding, he continued. "You two may go in, but I'm sorry no minors. She is in the ICU." He finished before giving the moms time to talk to their children before following him.

Stef and Lena exhaled deeply before turning to the three kids.

"Why don't you guys go get something to eat." Lena said as she pulled some money out of her purse and handed it to Brandon. "We won't be long."

Brandon took the money and nodded slightly, knowing that his moms needed to be with his siblings and that he needed to look after Callie and Jude.

"I love you, my babies." Stef said, kissing each child on the head and giving them a hug before Lena did the same.

Finally, the three children turned to find food that they most likely weren't going to eat, and the moms turned to go follow the doctor to their injured daughter.

One thing for sure was that this was going to be a long recovery.


	3. Chapter 3

**Life is busy. Wish I had more time to write but here is the next chapter. PM me if you have anything specific that you want to see in this story, but I do have ideas, so no worries! =] Thanks for reading !**

* * *

"Come on, Jude. You gotta eat something." Callie coaxed her brother as they sat at one of the cafeteria tables with a few items of food.

"Do you remember when mom and dad were in the car accident?" He asked suddenly, ignoring or possibly not even hearing her instruction.

Callie choked slightly on the water that she had been drinking and looked at her brother with love and sadness.

"Uhh well I was little, but I guess kinda yeah." She said carefully. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was just wondering who was with you." He explained and Callie crinkled her forehead in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I have you and Brandon and Mom and Mama to be with while I wait. Who waited with you?" He clarified and Callie felt tears prick her eyes.

"Well... uhh I had you!" She said trying to put an end to the conversation as it was taking her down a path she did not want to be on. "Want something else to eat?" She continued as she stood up, clearly indicating that she did not want to talk about the subject anymore. "I'll grab some stuff." She walked towards the cafeteria, leaving Jude with Brandon. Neither of them missing the failed attempt to Callie trying to hide her tears.

* * *

"There is a nurse station right down this hall if you need anything. You can also press the call button next to the bed." explained the doctor as he led the mothers to their daughter's ICU room. "When I find out anything about your son, I will let you know personally."

"Thank you." Lena said with a small smile and watched as he left.

Taking a deep breath, Lena reached for the door handle, only to be stopped by Stef's far off gaze.

"Stef?" She asked as she tried to put her face in her wife's line of vision. What she was met with was fear and sadness. "Oh, honey." Lena said as she quickly pulled her wife into her arms.

Finally, after a few minutes, Stef snapped back into reality and quickly wiped her face of any tear stains. "Sorry. It's like its just hitting me all right now." She explained.

Lena smiled and kissed her forehead. "No need for any explanations, my love."

Stef exhaled deeply and grabbed her wife's hand, squeezing it slightly. "Let's go see our girl."

Lena nodded and reached for the door handle and pushed it open slowly.

Both moms sighed when they saw their daughter hooked up to several machines and looking tiny in the large white bed; partly in sadness and partly in relief that she was going to be alright.

They walked over quietly, not sure if she was asleep or not, and sat down in the chairs that were positioned on either side of the bed.

As they peered at their daughter, Lena grabbed one of her small hands and Stef laid her head down on the bed next to the girl. They sat in silence, neither of them knowing what to say.

"Ana."

A small whisper came from the girl a few minutes after the mothers entered the room and both sat up to see if Mariana was waking up.

"Mari?" Stef said quietly and looked down at her daughter. However, she did't see her eyes open, she saw them scrunched tight.

"Ana wait! Watch out!" Her voice began to pick up in volume and her arms began to move up and towards her face, as though she were protecting herself from something.

Stef and Lena looked at one another and knew that Mariana was most likely having a nightmare or flashback from the accident. They agreed that they did't need to call for help from the doctors, at least not yet.

"Shhhh, my love." Stef soothed as she ran her hand over her daughter's forehead while Lena planted three lingering kisses to the side of her head. "You're ok now, my baby."

"Ana! No! Mom! Mommy!" Mariana wailed and the machines that she was hooked up to began to beep, indicating that her stats were not normal.

"Mariana, love wake up." Lena began begging her daughter, hoping if she was awake, that she would be able to get herself out of whatever flashback she was experiencing.

"Come on, baby girl. Wake up for mommy. You're ok." Stef added on as her eyes lingered towards the still beeping machines.

Suddenly, the door opened and Mariana's doctor, Dr. Kenton, entered, followed by two nurses.

"What happened?" He asked as he took his stethoscope off from around his neck, put it in his ears, and began to listen to the heartbeat and breathing of the girl.

"She seemed like she was sleeping and then all of a sudden she was yelling and I guess her heart rate went up." Stef replied as she grabbed for Lena and pulled her out of the way of the doctor.

"Alright." He nodded at the women before turning his attention back to the girl who was still in her flashback. "Mariana? I need you to wake up for me, Mariana." He said as he checked the monitors and wrote down the readings. "Can you do that, Mariana?" He continued as he turned to the nurses and gave them the chart. "Take these out to Dr. Rosenberg." He instructed before looking back at the young teen. Noticing that her breathing was still uneven, and she was still muttering whatever was ailing her, he turned towards the mothers, who by that time had gotten out of the doctor's way and were holding hands. "Sometimes it helps to hear a familiar voice." He stated as he started to step away from the girl in order to make room for her mothers. "Nothing serious, just a panic attack. All we have to do is try and get her to wake up." He concluded as the mothers took his hint and made their way back towards their daughter.

Looking at Lena, Stef sat down on the bed next to her daughter and swung her feet up and onto the bed itself. Once situated, she pulled the girl as close to her body as possible and wrapped her arms around, holding tight.

As Stef got into the bed, Lena made her way to the other side of the bed and sat on what space was left. She ran her long fingers through her daughter's hair and rubbed comforting patterns on the girl's arms and back in order to provide the familiar touch and sent in the hopes of waking the girl up.

"Mariana, my love. Wake up. Wake up for mommy. I'm right here and so is Mama." Stef said to her daughter as she held her close- hoping that her familiar smell and voice would ease the girl.

"Mommy!" Mariana shrieked as her eyes shot open wide and she gulped in as much air as possible. "Mom! Mama!" She continued to yell through the gasping breaths.

Stef and Lena sighed in relief at the sight of the girl awake.

"Shhhh, my love. You're ok." Stef whispered as she rocked the girl in her arms.

Mariana's cries turned into whimpers as her mothers' whispers and movements began to calm her.

"You're doing so great, sweetheart!" Lena added as she kissed the girl on the head several times.

"I wanna go home" Mariana whispered as she stilled in Stef's arms after getting as close as possible to her mother.

"I know, my love." Stef replied as she gently stroked the long brown hair. "I know."

* * *

It had been almost an hour since both Mariana and Jesus had arrived at the hospital and at that point, Brandon, Callie and Jude had taken what few bites they could manage and retreated back to the waiting room. Stef and Lena stayed with Mariana until she fell into a restful sleep before slipping out of the room to discuss their son with his doctor.

"Hello. I'm Dr. Anderson. I've been working on your son." He introduced as he extended a hand.

"Hello. I'm Lena and this is Stef, Jesus's parents." Lena stated as she shook the outstretched hand.

"I am so sorry to be meeting you under these circumstances." Dr. Anderson condoned as he flipped through his charts and sighed. "Your son is suffering from a small bleed in his brain." He continued, getting right to the point.

At this news, Lena gasped and her hand flew to her mouth, while Stef's face remained blank.

"He just came out of the first surgery, but we need to go back in and minimize the bleeding." He continued and both women said nothing in response. Taking this as a signal to continue, he looked at his chart once more before speaking. "He is in a medically induced coma at the moment in order to better his chances of making a full recovery, though with brain injuries, it is always a possibility of permeant damage."

Lena's hand remained over her mouth as tears filled her eyes and Stef felt as though she was frozen in a fog.

Concerned at the lack of verbal response from the mothers, doctor Anderson exhaled deeply before addressing the moms once more. "We will keep you updated on your son, but right now I think the best thing to do is to focus on your daughter."

Finally, Stef nodded and spoke. "Thank you, doctor." She said, with a tiny smile before looking over at her wife, who was still frozen, silent tears running down her cheeks.

"I have to go check on some of my other patients, but please let me know if I can do anything." He stated as he turned around and headed back towards the ER.

"My love." Stef said as she squeezed her wife's free hand. She still had not said a word since introducing herself to the doctor. "Lena look at me." She stated as she tried to meet her wife's eyes with her own.

Once they made eye contact, her heart broke at the tears that poured down her cheeks. "They're going to be ok" She stated as she pulled her wife into a hug. "Shhh, my love. Shhh it's ok." Stef didn't know quite what to say, so she settled with simply holding her wife while she cried.

"Mom?"

Both women were pulled out of their own individual thoughts when they heard a small voice from behind them. Turning around, they were met with the watery eyes of their eldest son.

"What... what happened? It he... Are they..." He couldn't finish his questions due to the possibilities that were racing through his head.

Stef released her wife and quickly pulled her son into her arms as his tears began to fall as well.

"Shhhh." She found herself saying the only thing she could at the time as she tried to comfort her son.

Pulling away after a few moments, Stef wiped the stray tears from the boy's face before speaking. "Where are Callie and Jude?" She asked, looking around.

"They're in the waiting room. Jude fell asleep and Callie didn't want to leave him, but I couldn't take waiting there not knowing." He confessed as a few more tears slipped out.

"That's ok, baby." Stef assured her son as she turned to Lena, who by then had been able to help her tears and hold her own, if only for a short time.

"Come on, let's go find them and we can all talk." Stef said as she turned to walk towards the waiting room, only to have Brandon's voice stop her.

"No! Mom!" His voice shook with fear, but he tried to remain strong. "Tell me right now. What happened?"

Both Stef and Lena were shocked by the tone and anger in their son's voice, though they couldn't entirely blame him.

Stef sighed and nodded. "Mariana is doing alright. She will make a fully recovery, physically." Stef said, trying to shorten the long answer. "Jesus is in a coma. He is bleeding in his brain and they are going to take him back into surgery to try and fix it." She blurted out the last part in the hopes that she wouldn't choke up on her words.

Brandon's face went blank as he listened to his mom. "Coma?" He stated out loud. "But... wait... how is he... will he..."

Stef's face softened as she pulled her son back into her arms and Lena rubbed circles on his back in comfort.

"We don't know" Lena answered, and he left it at that, at least for the time being.

"Come on, babies. Let's go find Callie and Jude." Stef finally said, knowing she had two other children who quite possibly needed her just as much as Brandon did.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapterrrrrr 4. =] Enjoy. More to come.**

At the sight of Brandon coming back, this time with both Lena and Stef behind him, Callie gently, but quickly nudged Jude in order to get him to wake up.

Stef smiled at the boy who was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, but trying to act as though he didn't just wake up from a nap.

She and Lena took a seat on either side of their children and Brandon stood in front of them, wanting to be there for his siblings and his parents.

"So." Stef said, as she grabbed Callie's hands and held them in her own, while Lena rubbed her hand up and down Jude's back. "Your sister is doing alright. She is going to be really sore for a while and might have some nightmares, but we can all hep her through this." Stef continued as she looked at all of her children.

Callie nodded, not wanting to say anything as she feared if she opened her mouth to speak, the tears would start.

"What about Jesus?" Jude's small voice asked as he leaned into Lena, drawing on her strength.

Both moms sighed and looked at one another. Lena could feel her chest tightening at the thought of her son's condition, so she indicated with her head that Stef should be the one to talk.

"Well, my loves, Jesus has to go back in for another surgery. He has some bleeding in his brain and they need to go in again to make sure that they fix it." She wanted to tell them the truth; she figured they had so many other people lie to them that they deserved the truth. However, she wanted to say it in a way that was clear to all of her children that they had a plan for him and for the moment, he was going to be alright.

Callie felt her eyes prick as the tears began to form. "Is he... uhh" She tried to remain calm, but the memories were flooding back. She had just found her forever family and one of them could end up the way her mother did. It wasn't fair. "Is he going to be..." She continued, but suddenly stood up. "I've gotta go to the bathroom." She said quickly as she got up and all but ran towards the bathrooms.

Stef sighed as she looked at where her daughter was sitting and then over to Lena, who by then had taken Jude into her arms and was whispering in his ear.

She looked from her wife to her sons and wondered how they were all going to make it through this difficult situation with so many of her babies hurting.

* * *

 _"I'm so glad you were able to make it to my performance, Ana."_

 _"I'm just glad I was able to get up and make it there physically. This baby is coming sooner rather than later."_

 _"Ohh! I'm so excited! I can't wait to meet her!"_

 _"You're going to be an amazing big..."_

 _"ANA! WATCH OUT!"_

Mariana woke up from the sound of her own screams. As she looked around, it took her a minute to remember where she was and why she was there.

Seconds later, she heard the door open and a nurse appeared. "Are you alright?" She asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Where's Ana? Where's Jesus? Where is my baby sister?" She blurted out, wincing at the sharp pain in her ribs as she moved slightly.

"Woah, woah, woah." The nurse responded as she tried to steady the girl. "Just relax. We need to make sure that you're doing better, ok?"

"No! You don't understand! I need to know if they are ok!" She tried again as she pushed the nurse's hands away and tried to sit up. "Ahhhh" Mariana grabbed her side and fell back down on the bed as the pain from her broken ribs seared through her body. She exhaled deeply and a sob escaped. "I want my moms" She cried, not caring if she sounded pathetic. She knew she could get her moms to tell her what was actually going on. "I want my moms!" She used the little amount of energy she had left to plead to the nurse.

"Ok, sweetie. I'll go find them." She nodded with a sad smile, checked her monitors once more, and slipped out the door.

Minutes later, Mariana heard a soft knock on the door, followed by it opening and both moms quickly entering. They both made their way to their daughter who by then had large tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Oh, my baby." Stef sighed as she pulled a chair next to her daughter on one side of the bed; Lena following suit on the other side.

Mariana's tears seemed to fall harder when each mom took one of her hands. "Where... where... how..." She tried to speak while inhaling deeply, but her sobs kept getting in the way.

"Shhhhh, sweetheart. Take a deep breath." Lena cooed as she put her hand on her daughter's forehead. "That's it. In and out. You're ok, my love."

Mariana waited for the flow of tears to slow before trying again. "Where is Jesus?" She got right to the question that she feared most. The look her mothers gave one another made her immediately think the worst and she felt her stomach turn.

At the sight of her daughter paling, Stef quickly addressed the question. "He's in surgery, baby. He's alright." She didn't think her daughter could handle the entire truth, but she needed to know he was still alive.

Visible relief flashed across her face as the color began to seep back into her skin. She exhaled deeply before continuing. "What about Ana and my baby sister?" She asked in a small voice.

Both moms knew they had to have this talk with both their children at some point, but they hadn't had much time to discuss how they were going to explain to their children that they mother was dead and their baby sister was in surgery, which they had found out themselves only minutes before from one of the nurses.

Lena got up from her chair and sat down on the bed beside her daughter. She scooted down so she was lying parallel to her and used her fingertips to draw random patterns on her arm in the hopes of soothing her already tense daughter.

"Ana didn't make it, baby." Stef said with as much love and compassion as possible. She had no other thoughts as to how to break the news to her daughter. "And your sister is in surgery. We don't know much on her status." She confessed.

Both Lena and Stef were waiting for the much anticipated tears to fall, but were confused when they didn't.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Lena asked as she tried to capture her daughter's gaze, which had become fixated on the wall in front of her.

When their daughter still did not respond, Stef took her hand and squeezed it gently. "Come on, Mariana. Talk to us." She shot Lena a concerned look before concentrating back on the girl.

The three sat in silence as both Stef and Lena racked their brains with what to do. Their daughter wasn't talking. Lena knew this was a possible coping mechanism, but she was nowhere near certified to know what to do with it and how to approach it.

Finally, after 10 minutes of silence, Lena cleared her throat. "Mom and I are gonna go check on the other kids, ok baby?" Mariana's only response was to squeeze tighter to her mother's shirt, which was right next to her, as Lena was still on the bed.

Lena looked at Stef who bit her lip in a loss as to what to do.

"Mari, love." Lena said as she tilted the girl's face towards her own, only to be met with unfocused eyes that seemed to look right through her. "Baby I'm going to talk to the doctor to see how long you need to be here and mom is going to check on Jesus. Ok? We're going to be right back. I promise." She explained, though she had no idea if the girl even knew what she was saying.

Once again, Lena tried to get off of the bed, but the grip on her shirt tightened, though the girl remained still and silent.

Lena exhaled deeply and looked to Stef before looking back down at her daughter. "Ok, sweetie. I'll stay here with you. Mom is going to go check on your brother and find your doctor. Ok? I'll stay right here with you." Lena said as she pushed the hair away from her daughter's face.

Stef nodded at this and stood up. She leaned down, kissed her wife on the lips and left a lingering kiss on her daughter's forehead. "You're gonna be alright, my baby." She whispered before planting one last kiss on the girl's temple and exiting the room.

"Yes you are. You're gonna be alright." Lena agreed as she scooted further down into the bed and felt Mariana curl up as close as possible to the mother. Lena sighed at this new response, but wrapped her arms as gently around her daughter as possible, hoping to pass some of her strength on to her grieving daughter.

* * *

"You're positive?" Stef asked.

"Yes ma'am. She has to stay here overnight for further observation, but if the doctor clears it, you may discharge her tomorrow." The nurse responded as she flipped through some charts.

She sighed and nodded her head. She understood, but it didn't make it any better. She wanted to take her daughter home. She wanted to hold her and talk to her in the privacy of their own house.

"Ok. Uhh and has Dr. Anderson given any sort of update on my son?" She asked, though she had a feeling she knew what the answer was.

"No, sorry ma'am. He is still in surgery." She explained right as the phone began to ring. "Excuse me for a moment." She said as she reached over to pick up the phone.

Stef nodded and stepped away from the nurse's desk before pulling out her phone and dialing her ex's number.

"Hey Mike. Yeah. Oh Brandon told you. Yeah they're alright for the moment." She didn't want to have the entire conversation again, so she got right to the point of her call. "Do you think you could come pick up B, Callie and Jude and bring hem home?" She checked her watch. "They've been here for over 2 hours and I don't want them sitting out in the waiting room alone." She explained. "Oh, oh thank you. Yeah I don't know if Lena had dinner finished before they left, but I'm sure they haven't eaten much here." She explained as she began to walk to the waiting room. "Thank you, Mike. I really appreciate it. Bye." She hung up the phone as she turned the corner.

Stef knew that her kids would want to stay, but she also knew that they needed to eat something and probably get some rest. After Callie ran off, Stef and Lena gave her a few minutes to cool off before Stef followed her. She knocked on the bathroom door and heard sniffling before a quiet "Someone is in here." Stef waited outside the door until she came out; eyes puffy and nose red. Neither of them said anything as they walked back to the chairs. Stef didn't even have a chance to talk to the girl before a nurse called them to Mariana's room.

She hoped that she was making the right decision in sending them home, but she trusted Mike with them and knew he was capable of handling this sort of situation, even if it was with the newest members of her family.

As she turned the corner, she knew she was making the right decision. Both Callie and Jude were curled up in the chairs with their eyes closed, and Brandon was getting there too. She noticed his hand on Jude's back and smiled at her children. She quietly walked over to them and Brandon stood up when he noticed her presence.

"Mom?" He asked with a hint of concern.

"Shhh." Stef whispered as she pulled her son away from the sleeping children.

"What's wrong?" He demanded when they were far enough away to talk in a loud whisper.

"Nothing. I just called your dad to come pick you three up and take you home." She began, and before he could protest, she put her pointer finger up. "No arguments. I need you to help with Callie and Jude, please. They need sleep. You need sleep. And I'm guessing you didn't eat much in the cafeteria, am I right?" She asked as she raised her eyebrows at her son as he shrugged in response.

"Mama and I will be here with the twins. As of now, there is nothing you can be doing here besides worry, and I would rather you be at home and not in this waiting room all night." Stef finished as she turned to look at her other two children, who were in the same positions she had left them in.

"Please, B." Stef looked at her son and bit her lip.

Brandon sighed and nodded. "Of course I'll do what I can." He responded before looking towards the direction of his twin siblings. "They're gonna be ok." He said before turning to wake up his younger siblings and get them home.


	5. Chapter 5

**I apologize for the long wait and the short chapter.**

 **Please review or send me a PM with your thoughts about where I should go with the ending. =]**

 **I hope to get the next chapter posted sooner than it took me to post this one.**

 **Enjoy =]**

* * *

Mariana blinked. She stared and blinked. From the moment she heard that her birth mother was dead and that both her blood siblings were in surgery, all she did was blink.

As soon as Stef left the two women to go talk to Mike, Lena tried to get the girl to talk, but was met by silence.

She continued to try and get any sort of verbal response from her daughter, but was not successful.

Finally, Lena sighed, kissed her daughter's temple and allowed the girl to curl further into her arms and drift off to sleep.

It wasn't for another 15 minutes that Lena was in complete silence.

"ANA watch out!" Mariana screamed into Lena's chest as her body shook.

Hoping to wake the girl before she moved in a way that would injure her more than she already was, Lena sat up and brushed her fingers through her daughter's long hair.

"Mariana, baby. Wake up. It's just a dream. You're ok." Lena began, hoping her voice and the touch of her fingers would be enough to wake the girl.

"No! Ana! No! Wake up, Ana!" The girl whimpered as tears began to flow out of her still closed eyes.

"Come on, sweetheart. You're ok." Lena was almost at the point of begging for her daughter to wake up, when finally, the girl's eyes sprung open and she let out a sob.

"Ok, ok baby. You're ok. Just breathe." Lena cooed as her daughter struggled to breathe normally.

The mother wrapped her arms around the smaller brunette and rocked her slightly, squeezing tighter at every sob.

Finally, when the tears stopped and the girl was able to breathe at a regular pace, Lena pulled away from her daughter slightly and gave her a sad smile. "You alright?" She asked, even though she was pretty sure she knew what the answer to that was.

However, instead of the response Lena was expecting, Mariana didn't answer at all. Her gaze was once again fixed on some unknown spot and her eyes were unfocused.

"Mariana." Lena called out her daughter's name as she tried to look the girl directly in the eyes- hoping that she would snap out of whatever she was in.

When the girl still didn't answer, she began to worry. She had no idea what to do. She was completely at a loss.

Trying to think of ways to get her daughter to speak, Lena didn't hear the door open slightly and Stef walk back in.

"Hey." Stef called in, though her demeanor quickly turned to concern as she saw the look on her wife's face. "What's wrong?" she asked quickly as she made her way to the bed.

Lena shook her head, not sure if she wanted to talk about her worries in front of her daughter- though, by the looks of it, the girl wasn't registering anything.

"What?" Stef asked again, becoming more anxious by the second. She glanced down at her daughter's unfocused gaze and tilted her head to the side, licking her lips before speaking. "Mariana, baby?" She questioned gently as she ran a finger down her daughter's cheek. "Mama and I need to talk for just a minute, ok?" She asked, continuing when she received no response. "We're not going to leave the room, but we're going to talk by the window, ok my love?" She asked as she ran her fingers through the girl's hair.

At the mentioning of them leaving, Mariana looked up at her mother with large eyes, tears threatening to spill over.

"We're not leaving, honey." Lena said as she squeezed the girl's arm gently and moved to untangle herself from her daughter.

As if she were too tired to fight, Mariana allowed Lena to slip out from next to her and her gaze fixated once again on some random spot in the room as her mothers moved over to the window in order to discuss in as much of a private setting as possible, considering the circumstances.

As soon as they were far enough away from their daughter that they could talk in hushed tones without her hearing, Lena buried her face into her wife's shoulder and let a few tears fall. She needed a moment to collect herself, but she knew she needed to talk to Stef and share her concerns with her.

The blonde merely stood still, holding her wife in her arms as she allowed her time to gain back her strength. She knew something was off since she had gotten back, and she was pretty sure she knew what it was, but she waited patiently for her wife to tell her herself.

Finally, Lena took a deep breath, pulled her face away from her wife, and began talking; every so often glancing down at their daughter, whose gaze had not moved the entire time.

"She had another nightmare." Lena started out.

Stef nodded. "The doctor said that is normal." she responded, wondering why this time it was getting to her wife.

"When I tried to talk to her after, she shut down." Lena continued. "It's like she doesn't even register that we're here or that I was talking to her." A tear slipped down Lena's cheek as she shared her worries with her wife. "I don't know how to help her. I don't even know where to begin!" She let out a sob as she threw her hands up in defeat.

"Oh my love." Stef said as she smiled sadly at her beautiful wife. "No one expects you to know what to do with something like this."

Lena sniffled before responding. "I'm her mother! I should know what to do! I'm a terrible mother!" She exclaimed as though it was common sense.

"I'm her mother too, but I don't know what to do." Stef pointed out. "Does that mean I am a terrible mother?" She asked, though she knew what Lena's response would be.

"Of course not!" Lena said, shaking her head. "But I took classes on child psychology and I deal with children for a living. I don't even know where to start helping her. I should be able to do at least that!" She said, tears now freely flowing down her face.

Stef grabbed her wife's face and pulled her close enough to her own face so their eyes were locked on one another. "This is not something that you can just fix, my love. I know you're scared and you want to do whatever you can in order to help her, but this is something more than either of us can handle." Stef explained, quick to finish when Lena shot her a look of disbelief. "Honey, we need to get her help from a professional. Someone who knows how to deal with a child going through trauma." She explained, as she wiped more tears away from her wife's face with her thumbs. "Right now, the best thing for her is to get her help, but that doesn't mean she doesn't need us as well. We need to be there for her in any way we can. It's not gonna be easy, but with both of us helping, she will get through this." Stef said gently.

"I know." Lena finally responded. "I just hate that I can't do anything right now." She confessed.

"Oh believe me, my love. I hate it just as much as you do." Stef agreed before pulling her wife in for a kiss.

As they pulled apart, they smiled at one another; happy that they had each other.

Finally pulling away, Stef looked down at her daughter, whose eyes were still fixated on some random spot in the room. Her heart broke as she began to think of who she could call in order to get Mariana the help she needed.

However, before getting too deep into that thought process, she made her way over to her daughter's bed and sat down in the same place Lena had been earlier. She leaned down to kiss her daughter on the forehead and smiled slightly when she felt the girl move closer to her.

Just as she started to get comfy with her daughter curled up as close to her as possible, there was a knock at the door and moments later, it was opened.

"Dr. Anderson." Lena stated as she recognized her son's doctor.

"Hello." He stated in a professional manner. "Is now a good time to talk?" He asked. "It's about your son."

 **What should be the news? Any thoughts?**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm trying to update quicker! Thanks to Hagios for the help in the progress of the story! I can't wait to keep writing! Thank you for the reviews. I truly appreciate them!**

Stef and Lena looked at one another before their gaze fell on their daughter- they knew they couldn't put off the inevitable.

Lena was the first to respond, as she was still standing when the doctor arrived. She nodded her head and walked towards him. "Sure. Just give us a moment?" She asked, knowing the doctor was most likely going to want to talk to them privately and that they would need to warn their daughter before they did.

Stef knew where her wife was doing and understood what her thoughts were. She laid her head down on the pillow and turned so she was facing her daughter. She gently tilted the girl's chin up so they were lying face to face. She bit her lip at the sight of silent tears running down her cheeks.

"Mariana, my baby, mama and I are going to step outside for just a minute to talk to the doctor, ok?" She asked, not knowing how her daughter would react.

Just as last time, the girl tightened her grip on her mother and let her face drop back into the bedding.

Stef sighed and looked up at Lena, hoping her wife had any ideas.

Lena exhaled deeply before walking to the other side of the bed and sitting down. She put her hand on her daughter's back and rubbed up and down a few times before speaking. "Sweetheart. I need you to be a big girl for me." She started, knowing she needed to choose her words carefully. "Mom and I need to talk to the doctor about Jesus and we will be right outside the door."

"We'll even keep the door open." Stef added as she lifted the girl's chin up once more.

When they received no answer, Stef decided that they needed to just get up, even if it meant their daughter was mad. They knew she was going through a terrible time, but they needed to know how their son was doing.

Surprisingly, as both mothers slowly stood up, Mariana didn't resist. She didn't do anything.

Stef shot Lena a worried glance- at least if she had been more stubborn and clingy they would have known what she was feeling. But this, this was a side of their daughter that they hadn't seen since they first started fostering her. No emotions, no words.

However, knowing they didn't want to be away from their daughter for too long, both women leaned down, kissed the girl on the head, and walked hand and hand towards the doctor.

True to their word, they left the door open as they stepped out of the room to hear the latest news on their son; hoping it was good because they didn't know how much more bad news they could take.

* * *

"Come on, guys. Your mom said you haven't eaten anything tonight." Mike tried to plead with the 3 kids he had taken back to the house. They had been sitting in the living room with a pizza in front of them for the past 15 minutes and no one had touched the food. He knew how to talk to Brandon, as he was his son, but it wasn't often that he spent any time with Callie or Jude and he was hesitant as to what he should say.

Mike turned towards his son and gave him a look of desperation. Brandon sighed and reached over to the table and grabbed a piece of pizza. He began eating, hoping that the other two would follow his lead.

Jude looked nervously at his sister and then to Brandon and finally down to the pizza. He was hungry, but he didn't know if he should eat if Callie wasn't.

Sensing his hesitation, Callie smiled at her brother. "Go on and eat, buddy." She said, gesturing to the pizza.

"Are you gonna eat anything?" He asked quietly, not yet moving.

Callie shook her head. "I'm not hungry right now." She said. "But save me a piece for later." She made sure to add, as to not raise any suspicions- though she was unsuccessful.

"Can you just eat one?" Mike began before Callie stood up.

"I'm just gonna take a shower." She stated before quickly making her way up the stairs without another word.

Mike looked down in defeat, exhaled deeply, and looked at the two remaining boys. "Well, eat up. I can get more if you finish this." He stated, though he was pretty sure that they wouldn't finish.

As the boys nibbled on their food in silence, Mike continually glanced towards the stairs that Callie had disappeared up.

"She's gonna stay up there for the rest of the night." Jude stated suddenly, not looking up from his pizza.

Both Mike and Brandon looked towards him with question in their eyes.

Finally, Jude looked up and shrugged his shoulders. "When she gets upset, she avoids." He stated simply. "I think this reminds her of our parents." He continued, though slightly quieter.

Although Mike didn't know the details, he knew about what happened in the car accident, and he began to understand why this was taking a different toll on the girl than the boys. Mike nodded and smiled at the boy. "Well that's ok. She'll come down when she's ready."

Jude nodded and looked back down at his food.

"She's gonna have nightmares again." He said, this time in almost a whisper.

At this, Brandon put his piece of pizza down and scooted closer to his youngest brother, wrapping an arm around him and squeezing his shoulder. "She's gonna be ok." He assured him. "She's got us now." He continued, remembering Jude's question in the cafeteria about who she had to help her through the last time. Jude looked up at the boy he saw as his older brother and nodded, as if all he needed at that moment was to be with his brother and know that his sister would be alright.

* * *

Stef grabbed Lena's hand and didn't let go. She didn't know what to expect, but she needed some sort of indication as to how her son was doing.

Dr. Anderson glanced at his clipboard before speaking.

"Your son is suffering from a subdural hematoma, which is bleeding on the surface of the brain." He began. "He did well in the second surgery, and as of now, he is in a coma." He waited for a moment to see if either mother was going to say anything.

"What... uhh what are... is he...?" Stef tried to speak, but once again, her emotions of her children were getting the best of her.

The doctor, however, nodded in understanding. "We will have to closely monitor him for the next week or so and if he comes out of the coma, we will begin treatment and therapy right away." He concluded.

"If?" Came Lena's voice in an almost whisper.

Dr. Anderson nodded but tried to soothe the mother's worries. "There is always a chance that something might go wrong, but in most cases, patients come out of the coma on their own within a week. It is just really difficult to put any sort of schedule on his timeline of recovery." He explained, wanting to know that their son would most likely wake up, but not wanting to make any sort of false promise.

Both mothers nodded and exhaled deeply.

"I'll keep you updated." He stated before reaching his hand out to say his goodbye. "I'm praying for you and your children." He added before walking towards another patient's room.

Stef squeezed her wife's hand as they stood outside of their daughter's room and took in the news. They remained silent until Stef remembered that they had left their daughter in the room and should check on her.

"My love." Stef began as she pulled Lena into her arms and they looked at each other, having a silent conversation.

"Can you get all of us some clothes and stuff?" She asked as Stef looked into the room and didn't note a single change in their daughter.

Lena nodded. "We can wait to tell the kids." Lena said, knowing it wouldn't do them any good to worry over information that they could do nothing about. "At least for now." She added as the pair once again walked into the room to be with their daughter.

Lena walked over to the side that the teen was facing and sat in the chair so her face was at the same level as her daughter's.

"I'm gonna go home and grab some clothes and maybe some movies, ok?" Lena asked gently. When the girl remained silent, she tried a different approach. "Is there anything you would like me to bring back?"

Mariana looked at her mother, with large brown eyes, flooded with tears and whispered, "Ana".

* * *

At her daughter's sole wish at the moment, Lena could feel the tears begin to form and fall. She knew the girl had been trying to desperately hard to get to know her mother and to get on good terms with her. Her heart ached for all of the missed nights the two could have had, but didn't. She wished that she could make her daughter feel better, but at the moment, she realized that the girl needed to grieve.

Lena stood up, kissed her daughter on the head before making her way to the door, Stef in tow.

"I'll have my phone on the whole time." Lena said once again, as if Stef had forgotten in the past 5 minutes.

"I know, my love." Stef said with a smile as she leaned in for a kiss.

Lena glanced at her daughter once more. "I'll be back in an hour, sweetheart." She said, though it was as if the girl didn't even know she was speaking.

Sighing in defeat, Lena gave her wife one more kiss before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Stef exhaled deeply and made her way back over to her daughter. She climbed back into the same spot that she was in before the doctor came, and she immediately felt the girl melt into her embrace and hot tears hitting her arm.

"Oh, my baby. Oh my baby girl." Stef whispered as she tried every strategy she knew to soothe the broken, bruised, and lost little girl in her arms.

* * *

"Come on, please?" Brandon pleaded to Lena as soon as she got home. He had been following her around for over 10 minutes asking about the twins, but Lena's answer had firmly been 'don't worry about it right now.'. However, feeling helpless, Brandon continued to ask, even when Callie and Jude had left it alone.

"Brandon!" Lena finally stopped getting things together from her bedroom and put her hands on his shoulders, looking him straight in the eyes. "Honey, please. I need you to help me with Callie and Jude right now. I know you're worried about them, we all are. But right now, what will help the most is staying here with Callie and Jude." She explained, knowing her son just wanted to help. "Maybe try and get Callie to eat something." She added. Mike had told her that the girl had eaten nothing since they got back and although Lena understood not feeling hungry, she knew that she needed to eat something.

"Yeah right." Brandon scoffed at the idea. "I'd be better off trying to get mom to wear a pink dress." He said with a slight smirk.

Lena exhaled. She knew she needed to get back to be with her two children in the hospital, but she also knew that she had three other children that needed her as well. She nodded at her son as she made her decision as to what to do. "Thanks, B." She smiled at him. "I'll talk to Cal, but for now, could you keep Jude company? I know he won't admit it, but he would feel better with someone around. I don't care if you just watch a movie, but I want you to be with him." She explained and Brandon nodded his head in understanding.

"Ok." He replied and before turning to leave, he quickly wrapped his mother into a hug.

The two exchanged no words as Lena knew he was both providing assurance and trying to gain strength all in one gesture.

As they pulled away, Lena asked, "Could you ask Callie to come up here?"

The boy nodded and made his way out of the room.

* * *

"I know it can be scary, but mama and I are always here."

Stef had spent the past 10 minutes talking. She didn't know if her daughter was hearing any of it or was registering that she was talking, but she couldn't sit in the silence. She talked about the wonderful things that she loved about her and how much she made her and Lena proud. After a while, she tried a different approach and addressed the most recent of events, hoping it would cause the girl to make some sort of acknowledgement that she was talking. However, she was met with the now-familiar silence; and that scared Stef.

It had taken her and Lena months to get the girl comfortable enough to speak to them when she and Jesus first lived with them- and a few more months to get her to talk to other people outside of the house. They knew she was younger and still adjusting to her fostered life, but at least when she was younger, she had her twin there who she talked to. Now, her brother was in a coma, and by the looks of it, she seemed to be mirroring one too.

Stef sighed and sat up in the bed, resting her back against the pillows behind her. She reached over, pulled Mariana up and onto her lap, careful as to not hurt her already injured body.

This movement took the girl by surprise, but Stef was extra cautious and quickly brought the girl into her lap- like she used to do.

It was as if no time had passed. The teen, who was small for her age, still fit right in the arms of her mother and just as she had as a little girl, Mariana curled up into her mom's body and sighed in relief when Sef's strong arms wrapped around her small body.

 _At least she is responding in some way._ Stef thought to herself as she knew the girl was aware of who was there and what was happening- even if she hadn't said it out loud.

The blonde began to run her fingers through the girl's hair as she placed several lingering kisses across her head. "My sweet, sweet baby." She cooed. "You're gonna be alright, my love. I'm right here. You're safe." The mother tightened her embrace around her daughter slightly and continued whispering until she heard her breathing even out and her limbs fall heavy. Stef prayed that with her holding her little girl that she would be able to get some restful sleep and that when she woke up, she would have a plan as to what to do next.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the delay. Here ya go. Thanks for the reviews!**

Callie paused outside of Stef and Lena's bedroom door. She knew that Lena was going to talk to her about the fact that she hadn't eaten and probably ask her how she was doing with everything going on. However, the teen didn't feel much like talking. She could slowly feel the flashbacks and thoughts of her own parent's car accident. She hadn't handled it well the first time, and now it seemed as though she was going about it in a different, yet equally as bad way.

"Cal?" Lena's voice pulled the teen out of her thoughts as she still stood outside of the room. The mother had heard shuffling of feet and had waited a few minutes for the girl to open the door. She knew she was probably processing and didn't want to rush her, but after a while, she knew she needed to talk to the teen.

Callie took a deep breath and pushed open the door. She smiled slightly as she took a few steps into the room, but stopped short of the bed.

"Come here, love." Lena said with a smile as she patted the bed. She knew Callie was still shaky when it came to affection, but she also knew that she was getting more comfortable and she was going to try her hardest to make sure the girl felt safe.

Biting her finger nails, Callie slowly walked towards the bed and climbed on, careful to not jostle too much, she sat down at the end of the bed, away from Lena. She noted the slight look of sadness on the mother's face, but proceeded to wrap her arms around her legs and pick a spot on the floor to stare at.

"Can you tell me what's going through your head?" Lena began, not knowing where the best place to start was, and taking a leap of faith that the girl would talk.

Callie looked up, her lip in between her teeth as she toyed with what to say. She didn't want to keep Lena here all night, because she knew she wanted to get back to Mariana, but she didn't think she could just say one thing and have the woman be satisfied with her answer. So, the teen decided that downplaying everything would be her best bet.

"Uhh I'm alright." She began, knowing that if she said she was completely fine, Lena wouldn't believe her. "I'm just scared for Mariana and Jesus." At least she wasn't lying.

Lena nodded her head before speaking. "I know. I am too." She tilted her head slightly to make eye contact with the girl. "But how are you doing?" She knew better than to accept the girl's answers for their face value and knew there was more bothering the girl.

"Me? Oh I'm fine. Just a little tired from the day." She shrugged and hoped it would be enough of an explanation.

Lena frowned. She knew it had been a long day, but she hated the fact that her daughter was closing herself off yet again. She knew she could get into a long talk with the girl, and she probably should, but she knew she needed to get back to her daughter in the hospital.

"Ok, love." Lena said, slightly surprising the girl who was sure that she would be asked to elaborate. "I have to go back to the hospital." She stood up and noted the surprised look on her daughter's face. "But when I get back, this conversation continues." She stated. "So for now, I want you to eat something and go to bed." Lena raised her eyebrow at the girl who was still in a state of slight shock by the mother's actions. "And while I'm gone, maybe think of some ways to talk to me because I'm not letting you push your feelings aside." She said in a strong voice as she finished packing the bags. She walked back over to her daughter and leaned down to kiss her head, leaving her lips lingering for a few moments.

"I love you, Callie. Never forget that." Lena said before adding "Now eat something and get some sleep. Mike will be here the whole night in case you need something, but I have my phone on too. I love you."

Callie managed to croak out "Love you" as Lena smiled at her and left to go say goodbye to her other children who were at home.

* * *

"ANA! WATCH OUT!"

Stef sighed as she felt and heard her daughter live a very real nightmare for the third time since she had fallen asleep only an hour ago.

She had gotten a text from Lena saying she was going to be a little longer than expected and said she would explain when she got there. So, after Mariana had failed asleep in Stef's arms, the mom settled herself down and began to think of possible ways to get her children through this mess. She knew the physical piece would be easier than the emotional, and she was slightly worried at that fact because she wasn't good with discussing emotions. Lena was way better at that than she was.

She had gotten lost in her thoughts until the girl began to cry in her sleep. She gently rubbed her back and whispered soothing words into her ear until she relaxed again. This had happened two more times, and by the third time, Stef decided that it might be better to wake the girl up.

"Mari, my love. Wake up. Wake up for mommy." She cooed as she gently moved the girl around.

"ANA! Please! Don't! No you can't!" The Latina murmured as she began to thrash around the bed.

Stef sat up, realizing that this was a full on night terror, she tried once again to wake up the girl. "Mariana, sweets. Come on, baby. It's just a dream."

"Jesus! No look at me! Jesus don't leave! Please! JESUS!" She cried out, which broke Stef's heart even more than she thought possible. At this point, her breathing became labored to the point where she was gasping for air that just didn't seem to find its way into her lungs. This caused her heart rate to skyrocket, and as a result, one of the machines that she was attached to began to beep.

Stef quickly got off of the bed and looked down at the girl who was beginning to hyperventilate.

"M...mom...mommy" She choked out as she continued to struggle to breathe normally.

Suddenly, the door flew open and a nurse ran in, asking Stef what had happened.

"Uhh I don't know really. I think she is having a night terror and she can't breathe right." She knew she was stating the obvious, but her mind was not thinking straight at the moment.

Sensing the mother's terror, the nurse took a moment to look at the blonde. "That's normal." She explained, not wanting the mom to think there was something wrong with how her daughter was acting. "I'm just gonna give her something to relax her. That way we can get her breathing back to normal." She explained as she pushed a needle into the girl's IV and emptied the fluid.

Slowly, Mariana began to relax her rapid movements and her breathing began to even out. Stef sighed in relief and nodded at the nurse, who smiled slightly back.

"Thank you."

"Glad I could help." The nurse responded as she checked the monitors once more before making a note on the teen's chart and then exiting the room.

Stef sat next to her daughter, absent-mindedly running her fingers through the long dark locks as she sat in thought. She was glad that at the moment, her daughter was relaxed, but knew it would be short-lived.

A soft knock at the door took Stef's attention and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her wife poke her face into the room.

"Hi" Stef greeted as Lena fully entered the room, closed the door and made her way over to the two on the bed. Lena leaned down and kissed her daughter's head, much like she had done with Callie, leaving her lips lingering. As she pulled away, she was stopped by Stef who put her hand around the back of her neck and pulled her in for a much needed kiss.

"How is she?" Lena asked when Stef finally pulled back and allowed the brunette to take her own seat on the other side of her daughter.

"Well" Stef began, knowing her wife would want to know everything. "She finally fell asleep about a half hour after you left, but she had a few nightmares." She could see the look of sadness on her wife's face as she gazed down at the girl. "The last one was only 10 minutes ago, but it was a pretty bad one." Stef continued and Lena;s head snapped up, her eyes full of concern.

"What happened?" She asked.

Stef exhaled. "She was yelling in her sleep and thrashing around. She started to hyperventilate and her heart rate went up, which caused her machines to start beeping." Lena blinked back tears as the blonde continued. "A nurse came in and gave her something to help relax her. She said it was normal for her to be having nightmares." She added, looking down at the girl in the bed.

Lena nodded, not knowing what to say at the moment. The two women sat in silence for a few moments, simply soaking up the other's presence.

Finally, Lena took a breath, knowing Stef would want an update on the there kids at home.

"So Mike is gonna stay the night." She began and Stef looked up. She nodded in understanding.

"How are the kids?"

Lena smiled inwardly, knowing that question was coming.

"Brandon is doing alright, I think he is just trying to process everything but he was a big help with Jude and Callie, just being there for them." Lena explained and Stef nodded. "He was keeping Jude company when I left, though they were both falling asleep so I wouldn't doubt if they are both in bed by now." She continued, knowing the topic of their daughter would be next.

"Good. They need to sleep." Stef responded before crinkling her forehead in confusion. "What about Callie?"

Lena took a deep breath. She knew that there was something more going on with the girl than she had let on, and she knew that at the moment she needed to put her energy into her twins, but she knew that at some point both her and Stef would need to address her issue.

"She won't eat and Mike said she hasn't really talked since she got home." Lena confessed.

Stef's face fell. She had a feeling that this might bring back some hard memories for the girl, and she wished she could be there for her to help her through them.

"I told her to get some rest and that we would be talking to her about how she is feeling sometime tomorrow." Lena continued, thinking along the same path as her wife.

Stef nodded once again. "We can't let her push this aside." She stated, knowing that is what her wife was thinking too.

"We can talk to her when they all come tomorrow." Lena said as her gaze fell back to her daughter. She felt tears begin to build up in her eyes and struggled to keep them at bay.

"I'm so sorry, my baby." Lena whispered to her sleeping daughter.

* * *

It was soon reaching midnight when Callie finally got into bed. She had remained where Lena had left her for the better part of 2 hours before finally getting up and making her way to her own room. She paused at the door as she looked at the empty bed where her sister should be sleeping. She blinked a few tears away as she began to get ready for bed.

Once she had gone through her nightly routine, she realized that she hadn't heard from any of the boys she knew were in the house. She quietly walked down the stairs and smiled as she saw Brandon and Jude asleep on the couch and Mike asleep on the reclined chair. She walked over to the TV and turned it off before heading back upstairs. For the first time in a long time, Callie didn't have to think only about her brother. She knew he would be safe with Brandon and Mike.

Upon entering her room again and actually getting into bed, her mind began to wander. She soon realized that since she wasn't focused on her brother, she had more time and energy to think about herself, which she quickly discovered she did not care for. The longer she laid in bed, the more she thought back to that night. The night that altered her world forever. All of the heart-wrenching emotions flooded back into her head as she tried to keep her tears from pouring out, but was unsuccessful.

She pulled the covers up over her head and curled herself into a ball as the memories surrounded her. It was the first time she really stopped and thought about that night and she quickly realized that she had pushed ore of it aside than she thought. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Stef woke up to the sound of her phone ringing in her pocket. She yawned and checked the time. It was 3:30 in the morning. She looked over at her wife who was mirroring her sleeping position; the two must have fallen asleep while sitting with their daughter.

Remembering why she had woken up, she pulled the phone out of her pocket and frowned when she saw Mike's name pop up. She quietly got up from next to her daughter and answered the call as she walked towards the door to not wake up either woman.

"Mike?" She asked, her voice still laced with sleep. She cleared her throat slightly before continuing. "What's wrong?"

"Hey uh sorry to wake you." Mike began, "I was just checking on all of the kids. B and Jude are asleep on the couch, but when I went to go check on Callie, she wasn't in her room." He explained, not beating around the bush.

"What?!" Stef called out. No. This couldn't be happening. Not now. "Did you check the whole house?" She asked, though she knew he had if he was calling her.

"I checked inside and outside the house. I can't find her phone either." He explained.

Stef sighed and ran her fingers thorough her hair. "Ok. Try calling her on Brandon or Jude's phone." She instructed her ex-husband as she began to pace the room.

At this point, Lena had woken up and was slightly confused as to where she was before realizing something was wrong by the way her wife was acting. "What?" She whispered, but Stef didn't respond.

"I'll be there in 10." She continued into the phone before hanging up.

"What happened?!" Lena asked the blonde as she began to pack her things.

"Callie's gone." She stated as she pulled her jacket on and turned towards her now stunned wife.

She put her hands on the brunette's shoulders. "I'm gonna find her. She didn't run away, I think she is just processing." She explained, though she hoped she was correct.

Lena nodded as she glanced down at their youngest daughter. "You go. I'll stay here." She stated. "Keep your phone on and call me when you know anything." She demanded, knowing she wouldn't be able to relax until she got a call.

Stef nodded as she bent down, kissed the teen, and then pulled her wife in for a kiss.

"I'm gonna find her." Stef stated, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. "And we are going to get through this." She continued before looking down at her sleeping daughter. "We all are."


	8. Chapter 8

**All of your reviews got me going and I wrote another chapter! Whoa this is the quickest I have ever written! Thanks for reviewing and favoriting and following! You are all the best!**

 _Just one more block._ Callie thought to herself as she rounded the familiar corner of the cemetery. She knew that she shouldn't have left, especially in the middle of the night when both Stef and Lena were gone, but her emotions had gotten the best of her. She needed to talk to her mom. Looking down at her phone, she noted that it was 2:00 am. It had taken her 45 minutes to walk there and she figured if she stayed for a half hour, she would be able to get back to the house and into bed before anyone knew she had even left.

Quickening her pace, she made her way to the entrance of the cemetery and made her way to the left, knowing exactly where her mother was buried.

When she finally reached the headstone, she fell to her knees and sat, motionless. She looked at her mother's engraved name and a tear finally fell. A tear that she had been holding in since she got the news about her siblings being in a car accident. And once that first tear fell, there was no stopping more from following.

She sat next to her mother's gravestone until her legs became numb; tears pouring down her cheeks. She couldn't form any words, but her tears told her story. She lost track of time as she finally laid next to the gravestone and curled herself into a ball, feeling her exhaustion take over. She closed her eyes, but didn't sleep. She merely laid there.

The only sound she heard were birds in the distance and the gust of wind on occasion, that is until her phone began to ring. The teen sat up, confused as she fumbled around for her phone. She looked at the screen and noticed that it was Brandon's number; she also noticed the time. _3:30?!_ She couldn't believe how much time had passed. She hesitated to answer; realizing that if he was calling then he knew she was gone and had probably already told Mike. And if he had told Mike, Stef probably knew as well.

 _Shit!_ Callie thought to herself as she sat up fully and wiped the stray tears from her eyes. She watched as her phone notified her that she had a missed call before it lit up only seconds later. This time Jude's name popped up on the screen. She inwardly groaned and tossed her phone to the side. She knew it was too late to turn her phone off and that Stef had already probably located her phone and would find her. _Damn it!_ She scolded herself for not thinking of that.

She sighed and curled back up next to her mother's grave, knowing that she was going to be in trouble soon and that it wouldn't matter if she stayed there for a little while longer. Her fingers reached up and began to trace the letter's of her mother's name as new tears formed. Not used to such heavy emotions, Callie didn't know what to do, so she let the tears flow and the sobs out. Secretly hoping Stef would find her quickly, because for once, she didn't want to be alone.

* * *

Lena stared down at her daughter. It had been only 10 minutes since Stef had left to go find Callie and Lena knew that she would not be falling back asleep anytime soon. She noted how peaceful the teen looked and sadness filled her. She hated that the only time when her daughter felt peace was when she had been drugged in order to sleep.

Lena's phone rang and she bolted up to answer it.

"Stef?" She asked right away, knowing it would be her wife.

"She's at the cemetery. I'm going to get her now." She responded as she quickly made her way to the cemetery.

"Be gentle, Stef." Lena warned as she heard a heavy sigh on the other end of the phone.

"I know. I just wish she would have come to us or.. I dono..."

"I know babe, me too. But for now, just get her home." Lena responded in a tone that soothed the blonde.

"Ok. I love you." Stef replied.

"Love you too. Tell Cal I love her." She concluded before they bid each other goodbye and hung up.

Lena began to pace the room. It was all becoming overwhelming and she didn't know what to do. Suddenly, her mind went to her son, who was lying in a coma in a bed somewhere in the hospital.

 _How could I not have been there with him?! I am a terrible mother!_ She thought to herself as she took one last look at her daughter, determining she was in a deep sleep, and walked out of the room. She wandered the halls of the hospital looking for someone who could lead her to the room her son was in. Finally she came across a nurse's station.

"Hi. I'm Lena Adams Foster. I am looking for my son, Jesus Foster. He came in last night from a car accident injury but he's in a coma now." She continued, not knowing how much to tell the nurse and hoping that the added information would help her determine where he was quicker.

"Ah yes. Jesus Foster. He is in room 301. I'm guessing you are Stefanie's wife." She stated more than asked.

Lena cocked her head in confusion, but nodded.

The nurse smiled before grabbing a chart. "She came to visit him a few hours ago." She smiled as she checked the login chart. "Yup. 1:30 am"

Lena's heart swelled. She knew that it was probably after both Mariana and Lena had been asleep that Stef had gotten up to go be with their son. Lena felt a pang of guilt as she hadn't been up to see him since he was taken into surgery, but it made her feel just a little bit better that Stef had been with him.

Taking the silence as acceptance, the nurse pointed to the hallway. "Just take this hallway all the way down and it is the last door on your left." She explained with a small smile.

Lena nodded and thanked the woman before making her way towards her son's room.

When she reached room 301, she took a deep breath and opened the door. The sound of steady beeping both comforted her and scared her. She knew it meant that he was still alive, but she hated that he had to be hooked up to them in the first place. Slowly, Lena made her way further into the room and got a glimpse of her son in the hospital bed, covered in bandages and wires, she choked down a sob that threatened to escape.

"Oh my baby." She whispered as she reached her son and sat down as close to the bed as possible. She couldn't manage to speak any louder than a whisper because she knew her voice would betray her.

"I'm so sorry, my baby boy." She whispered as she placed her hand on top of his and gently rubbed circles on his skin. She knew that this was helping him get better, but she hated seeing her son so unresponsive, especially since normally, the kid was bouncing off the walls. She never truly appreciated his excessive energy until this moment; when she realized she may never see it again.

Exhaling deeply again, Lena looked at her son's closed eyes and reached over, planting a soft kiss on his temple. She felt a tear slide down her cheek and watched as it landed on the boy's forehead. She quickly brushed it away and pulled herself back down to the chair. Her heart broke for her beautiful son who did nothing to deserve what he was given and who was lying there, fighting for his life. She hated this hospital. She hated the man who did this to her children. And she hated the situation she was in.

 _What if I never get them back?_ She thought inwardly. _Or what if I get them back and they're never the same?_ She continued. Although she knew thinking about such situations wasn't healthy, she couldn't help but wonder how her whole family's life was going to change and she couldn't help but be frightened.

* * *

Stef quickly pulled into the cemetery and slowed down, rolling down her window in the attempt to find her daughter. Part of her was furious that the girl would leave in the middle of the night and come out here alone, but another part of her understood. She knew the girl didn't do well with emotions and probably needed some time alone to be with her mom. Still, it didn't change the fact that she was worried.

Finally, after driving towards the back, she noticed a figure curled up next to a small gravestone. She recognized her daughter's jacket and quickly stopped the car and got out. Her heart broke as she saw her daughter lying next to her mother's grave, one hand resting on the stone, and another covering her face.

Stef quickly walked towards the girl and crouched down next to her. She knew Callie heard her, but she waited for the teen to make the first move.

As Callie toyed with herself as to what to do, she became curious as to why Stef hadn't said anything to her and slowly lifted her head from the ground. Her red and puffy eyes met the bright blue ones of her mother and something from that look made her break down for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

Stef was quick to pull the girl into her arms and allow her to cry. "Shhh, my love. It's ok. Just let it out." She whispered as she rocked her slightly. Except for the first breakdown Stef had witnessed after her father's funeral, the mother hadn't seen or heard the teen discuss or even mention her mother's death or even the car accident itself. She had no doubt in her mind that this incident had hit a little too close to home and that all of those bottled up feelings had no where else to go but out. She silently cursed herself for letting the teen get away with staying silent for so long, but she was glad that she could be there to help her through them now.

Callie's breathing slowly began to even out and Stef shifted the girl into an upright position- not wanting her to fall asleep.

"My love." The blonde stated as she waited for the brunette to meet her eyes. When she finally lifted her head, Stef smiled slightly and reached over to brush some hair from her face. "Come on. Let's get you home." She stated before getting up and holding her hand out for the girl to take. As the two walked to Stef's car, she pulled the teen into her side and held tight. "We'll talk about this when we get home." She whispered with a small but firm squeeze before opening the passenger side door and allowing Callie to get in before closing it.

Making her way to the driver's seat, she released a breath she didn't know she was holding. She knew it was going to be a difficult couple of months for the twins, but she hadn't realized how this was going to affect the rest of her family. Silently cursing the person responsible for the accident, Stef slipped into the car and gave her daughter a small wink before starting the engine and making her way back home. She needed to get Callie to eat something and get back to bed and she needed to determine how she was going to talk to her boys; she wasn't going to let any of her children hide their feelings anymore.

* * *

Lena looked down at her phone. She felt a tiny weight being lifted off her shoulders as she read that Stef had gotten to Callie and she was alright. Stef said she was taking the girl home and would be back as soon as she could.

She mentally kicked herself for not prying more when she was home, but figured Stef would talk to her before coming back and would make Mike aware that she was not to leave the house until they all came to visit in the morning.

Putting her phone back in her pocket, she stared back down at her son. She so desperately wanted him to suddenly open his eyes and crack a joke. She missed him. She missed his voice.

"Jesus." Lena spoke, though almost on autopilot. "I love you so much. I am so sorry this happened to you, my baby boy." A lone tear escaped from her eye. "I know it hurts, but you have to fight. Please, baby. You have to fight for me. And for mom. And for your siblings. Mariana is waiting for you, my love." She continued, hoping that somehow he would be able to hear her. Lena dropped her head and muttered into the blankets. "I love you. Please don't leave us."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey. So this wasn't my favorite chapter- I feel like it was kinda** **blah. But it is a filler chapter. Please help me determine where to go with the characters. I typically am good at beginning stories, but falter when it comes to furthering them on in an interesting way. Please any comment will be helpful.**

 **Thanks!**

* * *

By the time Stef got back to the hospital, it was already almost 6 am. Lena had spent the better part of an hour sitting with her son, before she decided to go back and check on her daughter. She didn't want the teen to wake up and be alone.

It had taken 20 minutes for Stef to get Callie back home, and another 15 for her to convince the girl to eat a piece of toast, which was more than she had eaten in over 12 hours.

After shoving the toast down her throat in order to get Stef off of her back, the teen made her way up to her room. However, before she could open the door, she was stopped by Jude.

"Where did you go?" He demanded, sleep evident in his eyes as he had just woken up at the sounds of Stef and Callie coming home.

"I just had to take care of some stuff." She brushed the question off and got her things ready for bed.

Both siblings knew Callie didn't want to talk about it, but Jude wasn't having it.

"Quit it Callie! I know you left! Where did you go? Why aren't you telling me anything?" As his voice grew louder, the girl grew more defensive.

"I don't want to talk about it! Just leave it alone!" She responded as she continued to get ready for bed.

"NO!" Jude all but screamed, causing Stef to appear at the door.

She was just about to leave to head back to the hospital, but decided to follow her daughter upstairs to confirm that she was in fact getting and staying in bed. At this, she was glad she did because a full out fight was about to break out.

"Hey! Jude. We don't yell in the house." Stef chastised, though she was gentle- knowing all that he had been through in the past 24 hours.

Instead of responding to Stef, he narrowed his eyes at his sister and spoke. "You can't keep everything from me. I'm not a little kid anymore. Everyone else knows it. Why don't you?" And with that, he walked quickly into his own room and shut the door.

Stef turned to her daughter. She saw how hard the girl was trying to keep her tears at bay, and also knew that if she tried to pry, she would only get shut down. Plus, she needed to get back to the hospital.

"Bed, my love." She simply stated before pulling the girl in for a quick hug and a kiss on the forehead. She knew her daughter wanted some time alone. "I'll text you with any updates." She said finally, before making her way back downstairs and towards the door.

"They alright?" Mike asked as she pulled on her shoes and grabbed her purse.

Stef looked back up at the stairs and sighed. "They will be." She responded. "Thanks again, Mike." She was truly sincere and thankful that her and her ex got along so well.

"I'm happy to help." He responded with a small smile.

"Call if you need anything." She added before opening the front door and making her way back to the place where she had come to hate.

* * *

"Hi." Stef whispered softly as she entered her daughter's hospital room. She hated that. Her daughter's hospital room. It made her stomach turn.

Lena looked up, her eyes tired and puffy.

"You alright?" Stef asked quickly as she set her stuff down on the chair and made her way over to her wife. She bent down and kissed the woman deeply. The two sank into the kiss, forgetting if only for a moment about the current situations and living in that particular moment with one another.

As the two pulled away, Stef could see the tears running down her wife's cheeks.

"Baby! What's wrong?" Stef asked with almost a chuckle. If they hadn't been in this situation, she probably would have made a joke about her kissing being so bad that Lena cried about it.

Lena shook her head. She knew she was tired and therefore being extremely overemotional, but she couldn't help it. "I'm just tired." She confessed as she sniffled and smiled up at her wife. "I just want our babies back at home." She added as a few more tears fell.

Stef nodded her head. She completely understood where her wife was coming from.

Shortly after Lena and Mariana had fallen asleep, before she got the call about Callie, Stef slipped out of the room and spent some time with her son. It broke her heart to see him cooped up in a hospital bed, wires hanging all over him. She had held in the tears for the most part, but seeing her son lying there, motionless was her breaking point.

She sobbed for her son, for the chance that he might not ever be the same again, for her daughter, who was so frightened and lost that she had lost all of what she had worked on in her earlier years. She cried for her other daughter who was grieving over the loss of her mother and for the fact that she couldn't be there with her to help her through it. She cried for her two sons at home who were being so helpful and yet she knew they had so many questions. She cried for her wife who had just lost a child and was now on the brink of losing two more. Has even cried for Ana. Although she didn't always approve of her relationship with her children, her heart ached for her and her child, who was still fighting for her life.

"I know. Me too." Stef agreed as she looked down at her daughter, who was still asleep in the large bed. "How is she?" the blonde asked without looking up.

Lena sighed and licked her lips. "I was with Jesus for a while after she fell asleep, but when I got back, she was still sleeping." She responded. She knew that the doctors had given them the ok to discharge their daughter today, seeing as the worst of her post accident problems were psychological and not physical, but at this point, she wasn't sure that her daughter was ok enough to go home. Of course she wanted her daughter home and in her bed, where she would probably heal quicker, but there was a small part inside of her that told her to wait and figure out how to best approach this newer side of Mariana before they took her out of the professional care.

As if Stef could read her mind, she spoke up. "Do you have Dr. Rosier's number on your phone still?" She asked.

Lena nodded and reached into her pocket for her phone. "I don't think I deleted it."

The twins had gone to see Dr. Rosier for therapy when they first came to live with Stef and Lena. Jesus only needed to go for a month; he took to the foster placement very well and once he was on meds for his ADHD, he was comfortable with the mothers. Mariana on the other hand was not as quick in her means of trusting. It had taken almost 2 months for her to feel comfortable enough to speak to Stef or Lena without her brother around, and another 3 for her to talk to people outside of the house. Mariana had worked long and hard with Dr. Rosier and both moms knew that the girl trusted the professional.

Lena nodded when she scrolled through her contacts and located the number. "Should we make an appointment now?" She asked, not knowing the best way to go about the next step. It was strange for Lena to not know; she was typically the one who took care of health related issues in the family. However, right then, she felt too controlled by her emotions to make any sound decisions.

Stef shook her head as her gaze fell back onto her daughter. "No. But I do want to explain the situation and ask her what she recommends. I know she will need to go in for sessions, but I want her advice on the best next step." Stef confessed.

Lena nodded in agreement. She stood up to step outside and take the call, when she saw her daughter's body begin to move. She immediately put her phone down and stood next to Stef as they both watched their daughter slowly come out of a much needed sleep.

Once the teen's eyes were somewhat open, Stef spoke. "Hi, baby. How are you feeling?" She asked, plastering the biggest smile possible on her face as possible. She didn't want her daughter to be any more afraid than she already was.

Mariana slowly took in her surroundings. It took her a moment to remember where she was and why she was there. _Ana. Jesus. The car wreck._ Her eyes pooled with tears that she felt never dried of and she felt herself trying to hold back from letting them fall.

Both mothers sensed her hesitation, and began to console the girl. "Mari, you don't need to hide your tears." Lena said softly. She reached down and brushed some hair away from the Latina's face. "It's ok to be sad or upset or mad or anything. You are going through something traumatic. It is normal to have mixed emotions and reactions. It doesn't make you a baby or weird or dumb- it makes you human." Lena explained.

As much as they wanted the teen to talk, they knew that she was going to deal with the situation in her own way, however, they were not ready when her face fell blank again as if she had turned off her emotions.

Lena looked at Stef, desperation in her eyes. She couldn't let her daughter retreat back into the scared and mute little girl who had first come to live with them. She had come too far for a relapse and she knew it would take longer for the teen to bounce back.

Sighing, Stef tried a new approach. "So, Dr. says you can get outa here today. Sound like a plan?" She asked, hoping the good news would engage her daughter.

At the lack of movement from the teen, Stef bit her lip in order to keep the sob from escaping her mouth. Her heart ached for her daughter. She wished she could take all of her pain and heartache away. She felt completely helpless and she hated it.

"I'm gonna go see if the doctor can come check everything and discharge you. Then we can get you home and into a nice warm shower and into your bed." Stef stated, mainly to the room, because she knew if she spoke and looked directly at her daughter, that she would lose it. "I'll be right back." She stated as she quickly made her way out of the room.

Lena sighed as she looked at the door in which her wife had just exited. She knew that the blonde was compressing her emotions in order to appear strong, but she knew how frustrated and frightened she truly was. They both were. She had no idea what this accident would do to her family, but she knew it was going to be a long time before anyone felt any part of normal again. She just hoped that it would happen with as little loss as possible.

Turning to her daughter who had curled herself into as small of a ball as possible with her injuries, Lena sighed. She bent down and kissed the girl's forehead, but left her lips lingering so she could hear her whisper. "We're gonna get through this. You, me, mom, Jesus, B, Callie, and Jude. You are never alone and you will never be alone, my love. You are going to be ok. I promise. And mamas don't break their promises."

And with that, she felt the girl reach out and grasp onto her shirt and cling tightly and nodded her head the slightest amount. She smiled internally, knowing her daughter had heard her and more importantly that she believed her.


	10. Chapter 10

**Heyyyoooo Here's a longer one for ya! I know I'm focusing on Mariana right now, but I think it fits for this story.**

* * *

Nearing 9 am, Stef had finished filling out the discharge papers, and Lena was helping Mariana into some sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt that Stef had brought back with her from home.

"Come on, sweetheart" Lena cooed as she tried to get the girl's pants on under the hospital gown. Mariana simply sat on the edge of the bed, eyes blank, face still, not moving to help at all.

Lena sighed and took her daughter's face gently into her hands. "Baby, please help me get you dressed so we can get you home." She knew the girl was probably hurting and didn't want to move, but Lena couldn't lift the girl and change the clothes at the same time.

Mariana looked almost through her mother, not responding and as if she hadn't even acknowledged that the woman had spoken.

"Ready?" Stef asked as she poked her head into the room, paperwork in her hands about ways to help the girl at home and things to look out for.

Lena, with the girl's face still in her hands, looked over her shoulder at her wife and shook her head.

Stef walked into the room cautiously and knelt down next to her wife. "What's wrong, love?" She asked as she looked at her daughter, but her question was directed at her wife.

"I can't get her dressed. It's like she doesn't even know I'm here." Lena answered sadly.

Stef nodded and kissed the girl on the temple. "Come on, sweets. Let's get you dressed and out of here." She said before lifting the girl up as gently as possible so Lena could pull her pants up all of the way.

Both older women glanced at each other. It had been years since they had dressed one of their children. Typically, it was Jesus who they had to hold down in order to get him to change from his dirty clothes into clean ones, and that was when he was 7.

"Ok, sweetie. Let's put on your shirt." Stef said. She waited a moment before sighing and taking the girl's hands in her own and slowly putting one arm in it's sleeve, followed by the other arm. She was glad that she grabbed a shirt that buttoned up the front so Mariana didn't have to worry about lifting her arms up to get the clothing on.

Finally, after some struggling and a few whimpers from the girl, Mariana was dressed and ready to go home.

"Mrs. Adams Foster?" A nurse knocked on the still slightly open door and both Lena and Stef looked over in her direction.

"Come on in." Stef responded with a slight smile. "We were just about to bust Mariana outa here." She gently nudged her daughter, hoping to get even a smile out of the girl.

The nurse smiled back and nodded. "Good. You will feel so much better at home." She then looked at the moms and gave them the look that she needed to tell them something, something without little ears listening in.

Lena spoke up. "I'll be right back. Mari, why don't you let mom help you into the wheelchair so we can get to the car." She said as she and her wife had a silent conversation with their eyes. Stef nodded in agreement and looked down at her daughter as her wife followed the nurse outside. "Come on, love! I'll help you."

Lena followed the nurse outside of the room, but put her hand out to stop the woman from going further. "She can't hear us from here. What's going on? Is is Jesus?" She asked with a worried tone.

The nurse licked her lips in anticipation, but shook her head no. "Your son is doing alright as of now, but I'm so sorry, the baby... We tried everything we could, but we couldn't save the baby." Lena felt her heart stop for the umpteenth time in 24 hours. Although it wasn't her baby, she felt all of the emotions from her miscarriage bubble up to the surface.

"I know she wasn't yours, but is there someone who I need to contact?" The nurse continued as she saw the reaction from Lena.

Slowly, the brunette shook her head no. "Thank you for telling me. I'll let the others know when we get home." She explained.

Nodding in understanding, the nurse gave Lena a soft squeeze on the arm and walked off, leaving the mother to her thoughts.

Finally, after a few minutes of composing herself, she walked back into the room where she saw Stef sitting on the bed with Mariana curled up in her arms.

Lena gave her wife a confused look and Stef closed her eyes as she bit her lip. Walking over to her wife and child, Lena knelt down and looked up at the girl who she loved endlessly. "Mari, sweetie. Don't you want to go home?" She asked, not knowing exactly what had prompted the current situation, but also knowing that the sooner they could get home, the sooner her healing would start... or so they hoped.

The Latina nodded slightly at her mother's question, but as Stef stood up to place her in the wheelchair, she tightened her grip on her mother and winced in pain.

Stef stood back up and rocked her daughter in her arms. She knew if the girl had been feeling any part of ok she would not be this clingy, but at the moment, she had retreated back into the 5-year-old girl who had first come to stay with them.

Suddenly, Lena had an idea. She sat herself down in the wheelchair and held her arms out wide. Stef, understanding what her wife was doing, leaned down to whisper in her daughter's ear. "I'm gonna sit you on mama's lap and push both of you in the wheelchair, ok?"

Mariana peered out from her mother's shirt and saw that Lena was in fact sitting in the wheelchair with her arms out and waiting. She nodded ever so slightly and Stef kissed her head before gently placing her small body in the waiting woman's arms.

"We'll be home soon, my love." Lena whispered as she felt her daughter snuggle further into her mother's embrace and close her eyes.

Stef grabbed her and Lena's purse, sling them over the handles of the wheelchair, and gripped the handles of the chair.

Both mothers were glad they were getting their daughter home, but they both hesitated to leave when their son was still lying in a hospital bed. However, Dr. Anderson had assured them that he would not be coming out of his coma anytime soon and that they were better off both taking their daughter home and getting her situated than sitting in one of the chairs in their son's room.

The women nodded and made their way towards their car, each lost in their own thoughts. Stef hoping she could get her family through everything, Mariana wondering why she couldn't see her brother, and Lena holding onto a piece of information that she knew her daughter could not handle, at least not yet.

* * *

"We're here, my loves." Stef announced from the driver's seat of the car.

Mariana had not let go of Lena once they arrived at the car, so Lena crawled in the back and sat next to her daughter, just as she had done when the twins had first come to live with them. Once Stef had lifted the girl into the car, she curled up into Lena and buried her head in her mother's shirt, and that is the same position Stef found her in when she turned around after putting the car in park and turning off the ignition.

"Is she asleep?" Stef asked.

Lena tried to maneuver the girl slightly to see, but the tightened grip on her shirt answered the question. She shook her head and patted her daughter's arm. "Come on, Mari. Let's get you inside and into a nice warm shower." Lena whispered as she began to move in the hopes that her daughter would follow suit.

Slightly wincing at the pain in her ribs, Mariana lifted herself up and Lena slid out, though she kept a steady hand on her daughter's back. "Mom's coming around to help you out. Hold on a minute." Lena called to her as Stef hurriedly got out of the driver's seat and made her way to the open door.

Stef stepped in slightly and placed her arms under her daughter's lags and behind her back. The girl was already small to begin, and the fact that she hadn't eaten since she was admitted to the hospital, she seemed lighter than normal. Stef easily lifted her and pulled her close to her body for extra support and comfort.

Lena grabbed the purses and bags from the passenger's seat and closed the door once Stef had the girl out of the car completely.

The two walked up to the door and Lena quickly go that keys out to open the front door.

Not knowing what time Stef would be back, Mike had taken the time in which the kids were sleeping to get some sleep himself. He was on the couch with a throw blanket over his body when Stef and Lena walked into the house.

Being a light sleeper, he woke up when the door opened and then closed moments later. Wiping the sleep out of his eyes and yawning slightly, he stood up and greeted the women.

"How is she doing?" He asked as Stef made her way into the house and directly up the stairs with Mariana in her arms.

"Uhhh she's having a hard time with everything." Lena responded.

"And Jesus?" Mike asked. He had a pretty good idea that the boy was at least stable for the time being, or he knew both moms wouldn't be home.

Lena bit her lip. "He's... he's in a coma, but the doctors said he should be coming out of it in the next few days." She responded, clearly anxious about the subject. "How are the kids? Sleeping?" She quickly asked, trying to change the subject. She hated that she couldn't be with all of her children at this difficult time.

Mike ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled. "Yeah. Well at least they were when I checked on them at..." He checked his watch "About 2 hours ago." He said with another exhale. "Though I'm not sure how much sleep they actually got." He confessed.

Lena nodded in understanding. She knew her children were worried, and rightly so. She was glad to be home at least for a little while and be able to hold them and talk to them to see how they were for herself. She knew Callie was taking things difficult and she wanted to talk to the girl about her little night out event.

"Thank you so much, Mike. For staying." Lena said as she looked to go upstairs. She needed to be with her children.

"Do you need me to stay in case you need to go in again?" Mike asked, both knowing he was talking about when they had to see about Jesus.

Lena thought for a moment, but shook her head. "You don't have to. You can go home, sleep, take a shower." She assured him.

"Really Lena, I don't mind. I was having a nice sleep on the couch." He said with a small smile. "Just in case." He added.

Lena knew it would probably be smart to have another adult around in case any of the children needed something more than the two moms could handle, but Lena felt awkward having her wife's ex husband being the extra help.

At the sound of feet coming down the stairs, both parents looked and saw Brandon, his face etched with worry. "Thank you, Mike. That would really help." She responded finally with a smile before directing her attention to her son.

"Hey, bud." She said with an exhausted tone, which she tried to play off as just a yawn.

"Hey." Brandon responded in a similar manner, letting Lena know that he, and probably the other two, hadn't slept well.

"Did you sleep at all?" She asked, though she was pretty sure she knew the answer.

"How is Jesus?" Was his response. He had spent hours at home not knowing what was going on with his siblings and he didn't want to waste more time talking about what little sleep he got. He could see that Mariana wasn't in the best shape, but at least she was home. He hadn't heard anything new about his brother and he knew he needed to be straight about his question.

Lena looked at him with a sad smile. "Doctor said he should be coming out of his coma within the next few days, but as of now, nothing has changed." She explained as she put a reassuring hand on his arm.

At the look of fear on her son's face, she continued. "The coma is helping his body heal. It is taking out any other factor and allowing a full body rest so he can get better." She explained to her son who was trying to put on a content face, though she could see tears glistening in his eyes.

"He's gonna be ok" Lena said as he pulled her into him and let the tears flow. He felt like a baby, but he couldn't believe what his family was going through. Not another hospital stay. Not another person hanging on for their life. He couldn't understand why bad things continued to happen to the family who didn't deserve it.

"Lena!" Stef called from upstairs.

The brunette squeezed her son once more before trying to pull away from him. She heard him sniffling and made eye contact with Mike. Understanding, the man reached over and maneuvered his son towards him so he was no longer holding onto Lena. She kissed him on the temple a few times before making her way towards her wife's voice.

When she made it to the last step and began to walk towards her bedroom, which she figured would be where her wife and daughter were, she passed by the girls' room. Peaking in slightly, she saw Callie and Jude wrapped up in each other's arms, Jude was sleeping. She was sure that the teen had woken up at the smallest of sounds made, but she was glad one of her children was getting some sort of sleep. Lena took a moment to step into the room with a small smile and walk over to her daughter and sleeping son.

"How long has he been out?" She whispered as she pulled the blanket up over the two of them.

Callie shrugged. "Few hours."

"Have you slept at all?" She asked, raising her eyebrow at the girl.

"Little" was all she responded with. "I think Stef needs you." She added, in order to move the focus from herself.

Lena chuckled ever so slightly at her daughter's distraction 'technique' and nodded her head.

"Ok. But we're not done with this conversation." She said as she leaned down to kiss both children on the temple. "I love you, bug." She said before leaving the room, closing the door slightly behind her for some quiet. She hoped that maybe the teen would fall back asleep, though deep down, she knew the girl had trained herself to stay awake for long periods of time and that sleep was probably out of the question for her at the moment.

Lena walked into her room and heard whimpering. She looked around and when she couldn't see the two in the bedroom, she made her way to the bathroom.

Stef was sitting on the floor with Mariana in her arms, half undressed, with large tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Hey, sweetheart." Lena said gently as she dropped down to her knees and made her way to her wife and daughter. "What's going on?" She asked as she looked first at her daughter and then to her wife who looked like she was a few steps away from losing it too.

"She won't let go of me." Stef explained as she rubbed soothing circles on her daughter's back.

Lena smiled at the girl. "Don't you want to take a nice hot shower?" She asked as she brushed some of the tears away from the girl's cheeks.

Mariana shook her head and pressed her face into her mom's shirt, though she grabbed Lena's hand and squeezed it as tight as the pain would allow her.

Lena looked at Stef and shrugged her shoulders. "Let's not push it. At least we can get her to sleep some more."

Stef nodded in agreement and patted her daughter gently on the back. "Ok, sweets. I'm gonna stand up. We're gonna put you in our bed, ok?" She asked, hoping to get something verbal from the girl.

Sighing, she began to stand, and with Lena supporting her, she made it to her feet, Mariana still clinging to her as if for dear life. The mothers shot each other concerned glances. They knew that she was scared and maybe even traumatized, but they hadn't seen this version of their daughter in years. It was strange to see her in such a vulnerable state.

Stef made her way to the bed and gently laid the teen down. As she stood back up, Mariana's hand grasped onto a piece of her shirt and more tears fell.

"Mariana, love. I need you to let go of me. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." Stef said with a tilt of her head so she could make eye contact with the girl.

Her lip began to quiver, but she reluctantly loosened her grip.

Stef smiled slightly. "See. I'm not going anywhere, baby girl." She said as she tucked her daughter in under the sheets.

Lena, who had been standing behind the two watching, cleared her throat slightly. She needed to discuss some things with her wife and at that moment, it needed to be sooner rather than later.

Stef looked over her shoulder and nodded as she understood. Then she looked back down at the girl who was fighting to keep her eyes open.

"My love." She began with a smile. "Mama and I are going to talk right in the bathroom, ok?" She began. As soon as she said the word bathroom, the girl reached up and tried to grab ahold of the blonde's shirt. However, Stef caught her hand before she could make a fist and brought the girl's fingers to her lips. She kissed them ever so gently. "We are not leaving. We will keep the door open, but we need to talk and you need to go to sleep." She continued. "Don't fight the sleep. Those medications the doctor prescribed will make you tired. Your body needs rest."

Mariana couldn't stop the tears from falling, but she nodded. She understood that her mothers needed to talk and were probably sick of her wanting to be around them, but she just didn't want them out of her sight. Because if she couldn't see them, they could be gone forever, just like Ana.

Stef smiled at her daughter's cooperation and bent down to kiss the girl goodnight. "We'll be right over here if you need anything." She assured the girl as Lena too kissed her daughter and poked her nose slightly.

"Love you"

Mariana forced out the smallest smile possible, but the mothers took it as a start and returned it with big ones of their own.

Finally, Lena grabbed ahold of her wife's arm and led her over to the bathroom where they could talk in somewhat privacy.

They held each other in a much needed embrace before beginning their conversation.

"So we need to contact their therapist, and she's gonna have to go see her and the regular doctor a few times a week." Stef began, but stopped when she saw new tears forming in Lena's eyes. "What?"

Lena tried to hold herself together as she told Stef the news about the twins' baby sister. Stef's eyes widened. She looked out and over to her daughter whose eyes were closed. How were they going to tell her that she had lost both her birth mother and her birth sister when she was barely holding on with the news she already had? Their heart ached for their children as they began to mentally prepare themselves for the hours of sleepless nights, nightmares, tears, anger, and confusion that their family was about to go through.

It wasn't fair.

It just wasn't fair.


	11. Chapter 11

**My only excuse to the lack of updates is that the holidays were crazy busy and I have been in a writing rut.**

 **If you would like to see any particular character go anywhere, please let me know. =]**

* * *

 _'Anna! Watch out!'_

 _'Anna! Wait! Mom? Mama?'_

 _'No! Mom! Mama! You can't leave me! Please! Please don't leave me! Mommy!'_

Mariana had fallen into a restless sleep as soon as she felt her mothers step into the bathroom to talk. She knew she needed to sleep and she knew that fighting the inevitable would only hurt her in the end, but she couldn't keep her mind still enough to fully fall asleep.

It started with the same vision of Anna dying over and over, but it soon turned to her mothers in Anna's spot. It was something that she had been worried about since she had woken up from the crash, which is why she didn't want to let the two women out of her sight.

Her heart thumped hard in her chest as her mind played tricks on her and she witnessed her mothers being killed over and over again. She couldn't force her brain to turn off.

* * *

Stef and Lena had been in the bathroom talking for only about 10 minutes when they heard their daughter mumbling from their bed.

Lena had finished explaining the news about the twins' sister and both women were mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted. They had no idea how they were going to tell their already broken daughter about this new news, and on top of that, they had other children to take care of.

Stef was the first one to notice the sounds coming from the young girl. She peaked her head out of the bathroom door and gauged the situation.

"I think she's having another nightmare." She said to Lena, who was rubbing the headache that had formed.

Lena sighed, "I'm gonna call Dr. Rosier and see what she thinks."

Stef nodded in agreement and watched as her wife left the room and then focused her gaze on her daughter who by then had begun moving around in a frantic state. She desperately wanted to just wrap the girl in her arms and soothe away all of her fears, worries, and heartache. It killed Stef to watch her daughter suffer without knowing how to fix it.

"Mommy watch out!"

The Latina's cries pulled the mother out of her thoughts and she made her way to the distraught girl. She sighed and made her way to the bed and sat down next to her daughter. She knew the girl needed to sleep, though she wasn't sure how effective this nightmare-sleep was, so she laid down parallel to her daughter and began to run her fingers through the long dark hair in the hopes of calming her down into a restful sleep.

Mariana sniffled in her sleep, and her mother's fingers running through her hair helped calm her slightly, but tears were still escaping.

Stef looked down at the broken girl and felt the unwanted lump in her throat and sting in her eyes. Biting her lip in an effort to stop the threatening tears from spilling, Stef tried to focus on her daughter.

"I'm so sorry, my love." She began speaking with a deep breath. "I wish I could take all of this pain away, but I don't know how to help you, baby." She pulled the girl into her arms and held her close. It had been years since she had held one of her children in this way, but it felt comfortable at the moment.

With another sniff, Stef began to rock the girl and continue talking. "I know you've been trying to hard with Anna and at home, and in school, with your dancing. I'm so proud of you. You have come so far from the first time I met you." She smiled at the thought. "You were so shy. You wouldn't talk to anyone but Jesus." Letting out a small chuckle, she continued "Do you remember that? My little Miss Thing not talking?"

After a moment of silence, she let out a wispy and teary-eyed laugh "I miss you, baby. I promise I will do everything in my power to help you through this. But you have to come back to me, my love." Still rocking the girl, she leaned in close to her daughter's ear "I love you with my whole heart, my sweet, sweet girl."

At the sense of another presence in the room, Stef looked up and saw her wife standing at the doorway, cell phone in her hand, and tears in her eyes.

Stef tried to force a small smile as she continued to rock her now calm and sleeping daughter in her arms.

Lena walked towards her wife. She needed to talk to her about the phone call, but she put that aside so she could comfort the blonde who was trying hard not to lose it. "She settled back down?" Lena asked gently as she put her hand on her wife's shoulder.

Stef sniffled back a sob and nodded her head, still looking at her daughter.

"Why don't we see if she will sleep for a while longer." Lena suggested, trying to get Stef away from the Latina so they could talk.

Stef nodded her head as the tears began to spill over. She kept her head down as to not show her emotions as she carefully laid her daughter back on the bed and planted several kisses to her temple. "I love you, baby." She added before getting up and walking to the bathroom, still not looking at her wife.

Lena sighed at her wife's stubbornness and followed her into the bathroom, closing the door halfway behind her.

Stef had found her way to the floor and sat in front of the bathtub, resting her back on the cool basin. Her knees were pulled up as close to her body as possible and her head was buried in her arms, which were gathered onto of her knees.

Lena sat down in front of her wife, but held off on speaking- allowing the blonde to gather her thoughts.

A soft sob and the shaking of Stef's shoulders indicated that she was letting out some of the pent-up feelings that had been bottled up inside of her. Lena moved next to her wife and wrapped her arms around her shaking figure. At this gesture, Stef's sobs grew and she buried her face into her wife's chest.

"It's alright, honey. They're going to be alright." Lena cooed as she held her wife in her arms and let her fall apart. She knew the blonde needed this breakdown. She needed to let out the emotions that had been building up for hours.

"I've got you."

"I will always have you."

* * *

"What do you know about the car?" Brandon suddenly asked his dad as they were sitting on the couch together.

After Lena went upstairs to be with Mariana and Stef, Mike had taken his son to the couches and simply sat with him there. Mike knew his son wasn't much of a talker when it came to difficult topics, so he was waiting for the boy to take the initiative.

They had the T.V. on to a show that neither of them were really watching and it had been about 10 minutes of silence before the boy spoke up.

"What?" Mike asked, turning his head to try and meet the gaze of his son.

"The car that hit the twins. Do you know anything about it?"

Mike looked at his son with a confused look. "Uhh not really. I go the call from your mom and never even saw the crash" he began with a questioning tone. "Why do you ask?"

Brandon shrugged and looked back at the television. "Just wondering." He responded simply.

Mike knew there was a real reason as to why his son was asking, but for the time, he decided to let it go. And although he knew the boy and his siblings were going through a difficult time, he decided to try and at least some of the kids out of the house to get their minds off of the situation.

"Hey, B."

"Yeah?"

"What do you say you, me and Jude get out of here for a little bit? Hu? Maybe go to the batting cages or grab some food that Lena totally wouldn't want you to eat?" He asked trying to lighten the mood and get his son to smile.

Brandon shrugged his shoulders again. "I don't care."

"Why don't you go shower and I'll talk to your moms." Mike decided, knowing his son wasn't going to give an answer either way.

"Ok" Brandon responded and got up to make his way to the stairs.

Mike sighed and followed his son by getting up and walking up the stairs to find his ex wife. He knew this was going to be a hard time for everyone in the family, but he hoped he could do something to take off some of the pressure he knew both Stef and Lena were feeling. Although he and Stef had gotten a divorce, they still cared about one another and Mike, though he was only the father of Brandon, felt protective of all of the Foster children. He made it his goal to do whatever he could to help.

* * *

Stef and Lena remained in each other's embrace for the better part of 10 minutes, pulling on each other's strength and trying to decide where to go from there.

"So" Stef finally spoke, wiping her eyes, "What were you going to tell me about the doctor?" She hated feeling weak and vulnerable, even when it was with the one person who she trusted and loved the most.

Lena wiped her own eyes and took a deep breath. "She wants an emergency session with Mariana. She said she has an opening at 1."

Stef nodded "Yeah. Ok. She needs to go. We can do that."

Lena nodded in agreement, knowing she needed to tread lightly with her wife.

"What about Jesus? And Callie? And the boys? We can't just leave them here and..." Stef began to ramble when a knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts.

Both women wiped there eyes once again and Lena went to open the door, thinking it was probably one of her children. However, she was surprised to find Mike standing there, slightly rocking from foot to foot.

"Hey, Mike. Is everything ok?" She questioned.

The man ran his fingers through his hair and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Uhh I was thinking of taking B and Jude to the batting cages or something to ya know get 'em out of the house for a bit. I mean if you think that's a good idea" He stumbled over his words.

Lena nodded and turned her head towards Stef, who by then had met the other adults at the doorway of their bedroom.

"That would be great. Thank you, Mike." Stef agreed. "Lena, why don't you go wake up Jude and let him know what's going on." Stef instructed. Lena nodded and began to leave the room. "Oh and ask Callie to come into our room. I want her with us today. We need to talk to her."

Lena again nodded and went to her daughter's room, where she knew her daughter and son were.

"Thanks again, Mike. This is really helping us out." Stef said with a small smile. She suddenly looked around the room and went to her dresser and grabbed some money. "Here. For food or whatever you guys want to do." She handed the money to her ex-husband.

"I got it, Stef. Don't worry." Mike said, holding his hand out to reject the money.

Stef licked her lips and nodded. She didn't have the energy to protest. "Thanks." She simply replied.

"B is showering, but I'll just wait downstairs for them." Mike stated before turning to walk away. "If you need anything else, Stef..." He began.

Stef just nodded and they both understood.

* * *

Lena poked her head into the room which held her children. She knew Callie probably hadn't ever fully gone to sleep, but she hoped Jude had gotten some rest. She waited a moment as she witnessed Callie ever so gently stroking her fingers up and down her brother's back and humming softly. Her eyes were closed, but Lena knew that she wasn't sleeping.

In order to refrain from startling the girl who seemed deep in thought, Lena gently knocked her knuckles on the doorframe and waited for her daughter's eyes to open. Lena smiled at the girl when she looked down to see that her brother was still asleep next to her.

"Hey, honey." Lena greeted as she walked into the room and sat down on Mariana's bed. "Mike and Brandon wanted to take Jude to the batting cages for a little while." She decided to just come out and say what she needed to. She didn't have the time or energy to build up to it, though she knew she needed to make sure Callie felt alright about the idea. She knew how protective she was at the time, especially under the circumstances.

Callie bit her lip as she looked from Lena back down to her brother.

"I can go with." She finally replied.

Lena exhaled before continuing. "Actually, mom and I wanted you to stay here with us. We wanted to talk to you."

The woman waited to see what the response would be from the girl who seemed so unpredictable over the past 12 hours.

Lena could see that she was having an internal battle with herself, so she continued to speak. "They're just going to the batting cages and then maybe to grab something to eat. They won't be gone for very long."

Callie knew deep down that she didn't have a choice in whether or not Jude went with, but she was feeling so nervous about letting him out of her sight. She had knots in her stomach that had formed the moment she heard there was a car accident.

Finally, knowing she couldn't prolong the waiting, the girl nodded.

"I'll leave you to wake him up and let him know the plan. I'll be in my room. Come on in when you're both up, ok?"

Again, Callie nodded and focused her attention on waking up her brother.

The mother smiled and left the two for a much needed moment alone- more-so for Callie than her brother.

* * *

It had taken a good 45 minutes for Mike to get the boys out of the house. Jude wanted to shower before he left, despite Stef's words about how he would probably get a little sweaty at the batting cages. Then, Callie wanted to talk to the boy before they left. Both moms knew she was telling him something along the lines of being extra careful and that she was a phone call away. Typically, they would intervene, trying to get the girl to continue to relinquish the parenting burden, but they knew this was a touchy subject for both of them, and allowed her to have her moment with him.

Finally, all three boys left with Mike promising to keep his phone on loud, along with the other two, in case they heard any news.

Stef shut the front door behind the boys before turning to face her wife and oldest daughter. She glanced at her watch and noted that they needed to leave to get Mariana to her appointment in a little over an hour, which gave the moms some time to talk to Callie.

Lena, being on the same page as her wife, looked at her watch as well and smiled at Callie, who seemed to be lost in a thought.

"So, why don't we get you something to eat and then we can head on upstairs to talk for a little bit." Lena stated as she put an arm around the girl and began to lead her towards the kitchen.

Callie, however, stood still. "I'm not really hungry. We can just talk now." She mumbled as she looked down at the floor.

Stef raised an eyebrow and met her wife's eyes.

"We have to leave here in about an hour to take Mariana to a doctor's appointment. So we can talk now and you can eat after, or you can eat now and we can talk after, but we will be doing both before we leave." Stef said with no room for argument.

Callie let out a frustrated groan. "I'll just eat later." She said before turning to head up the stairs.

Lena let the arm that had just been around Callie's shoulder drop and she exhaled deeply.

Stef came up behind her and wrapped her own arms around the taller women's waist and rested her chin on Lena's shoulder. "She's going to be alright. Baby steps with her." She whispered before turning her head and kissing her wife's mocha cheek several times. She unwrapped herself from the embrace but held out her hand. Lena took it with a small smile and the two of them followed their daughter.

It was going to be a long hour.


	12. Chapter 12

**I know I know! It has been forever and it is a short chapter but work is well work. =] Enjoy, Foster Fans!**

* * *

Callie stomped up the stairs. She didn't know why, but everything was making her mad. She hated all of the emotions that were flowing through her every thought, but what she hated even more was that Stef and Lena wanted to talk to her about them.

At the entrance of her room, Callie paused. _How could I be so selfish?_ She asked herself as she looked at Mariana's empty bed. _Mariana and Jesus were just in a car accident and I'm whining about talking about my feelings?_ she chastised herself. She chewed her lip and furrowed her brow as she scolded herself for her actions. The teen was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't hear Stef and Lena come up the stairs in order to check on Mariana and continue their discussion with Callie.

The two mothers exchanged worried glances as they took in the state of their daughter- almost lost in a trance. Silently having a conversation with their eyes, they both nodded and Lena continued towards her room to check on their younger daughter, while Stef gently put an arm around their older daughter and led her into her room.

Callie first jumped, but then groaned as Stef put her arm around her shoulders. She mentally kicked herself for not going straight into her room and possibly avoiding the talk that was about to take place.

Stef guided the teen towards her bed and gently pushed her down, before taking a seat next to her. The blonde waited a few moments to see if the girl would take any initiative to begin talking, but once realizing that she wasn't going to talk, Stef took a deep breath and turned slightly towards the teen.

"OK, love, I know you don't want to talk to me about this, so how about for right now, I'll talk and you listen?" She said as she waited for the girl's response.

To her surprise, Callie pulled her knees up to her chest and nodded. She was reluctant to listen, but relieved that she didn't have to talk- at least for the time being.

"I can't imagine what you're going through right now." she stated, which took Callie by surprise. She was sure that she was going to get a lecture about leaving the house at night or for her attitude. But this caught her off guard.

"I know this has brought up a lot of painful memories. And I also know that you're feeling hesitant to allow yourself to have those feelings." She continued- as if she was reading the teen's mind.

Callie found a suddenly very interesting thread on the end of her shirt and busied herself with playing with it.

"Can you look at me, Cal?" Stef asked gently.

When the teen didn't respond, Stef continued. "Please, love? I need you to look at me."

Reluctantly, Callie turned her head on her knees so she could see Stef's face sideways.

Knowing this was as much cooperation as she was going to get, the blonde proceeded.

"Just because Jesus and Mariana were the ones in the crash, doesn't mean that they are the only ones who are hurting. You are entitled to your feelings and you have a right to feel them."

Stef tilted her own head in order to look at her daughter straight on. "Baby I know this is hard for you. It's ok to be upset. It doesn't make you selfish or a baby or dumb to have these feelings right now."

Callie felt an unwelcome lump form in her throat, but she nodded her head to tell Stef that she had heard her.

"I want you to know that Lena and I always have time to listen and talk to you about anything. I also want you to know that dealing with everything on your own in the way you have been is not ok."

Callie bit her lip as she waited for the lecture.

"Love, you can't just leave whenever you feel like it. I know that is how you lived in the past, but the thing is, before, you only had Jude to look out for. Now, you have all of us who want to help you and people to take care of _you_." She wiped a tear that fell as her heart ached for her daughter.

"Baby, you just have to let us."

Callie couldn't hold back her tears anymore and she buried her face into her knees. There was so much going on through her head and it was too much for her to handle.

In an attempt to control her emotions, she suddenly bolted up and grabbed the closest clothes she could find.

"I... I just..." she began, but it felt like breathing was a difficult task.

"Cal. Take a deep breath." Stef said as she stood up and slowly reached out her hands towards the girl's shoulders.

"No!" Callie shouted as she inhaled deeply. "I need to shower." She stated and before waiting for the response, she left the room.

Stef sighed as she looked towards the door that her daughter walked through. She exhaled and stood up. The blonde decided to give her daughter the space she needed for the time being, and headed towards her room in order to check on her other girls, update Lena about their eldest daughter, and get ready to get her youngest daughter on the path to healing.

* * *

"Yes. Yes I understand. No it's alright. But you promise? The second he thinks he will have ay change? Yes. Thank you... Thank you... Bye." Lena hung up the phone as Stef was closing their bedroom door behind her.

"Who was that?" Stef asked as she made her way towards the bathroom, where her wife had been while on the phone.

"Hospital." She said as she put the phone on the top of the dressed and walked over to her still sleeping daughter.

"Wait what? The hospital? What did they say?"

"It was nothing."

"Lena." Stef caught her wife's arm and pulled her close to her. "Talk. Don't shut me out."

Lena chuckled. "Remember those wise words over the years, Stefanie."

Stef gave her wife a small smile before squeezing her hands to encourage her to keep talking.

"They didn't call me... I... I called them." She finally said.

Stef tilted her head as a silent plea to continue.

Lena blushed, "I just wanted to know if anything had changed with Jesus. I know they said they would call, and that he would be in a coma for a few days, but I just feel so guilty that he is there all alone and I won't want him to wake up alone... or... or if he doesn't... if he doesn't wake up... I just..." a sob escaped from the woman's lips.

"Oh baby." Stef pulled the brunette into her arms- allowing her to fall apart for her children.

"Honey, he is gonna be fine!" Stef said, pulling back to look into her wife's eyes.

"He's in a coma, Stef!" Lena cried out. "We don't know what's gonna happen! We don't know if he is going to be fine!"

Stef smiled sadly at her wife, "We have to believe that he will be." She said as she cupped her wife's cheeks.

Lena let out another sob and leaned back into her wife's arms.

After a few moments, Lena pulled back and quickly wiped her eyes.

"Hi, baby." She said as she focused her gaze on her younger daughter, who was looking at her mothers with sad, wide eyes.

Stef's eyes followed her wife's and she forced a smile on her face- for her daughter's sake.

"Feel any better?" Stef asked as she and Lena walked over to their bed, where Mariana was still lying.

The girl shrugged her shoulders and snaked her hand up from under the covers to wipe the few tears that had fallen as she woke up and heard her mothers discussing her twin.

Each mother sat on either side of their daughter. Stef reached her hand out to brush the hair away from the girl's face, while Lena grabbed her hand and gently squeezed it.

"So, my sweet, sweet girl. We have some things to do today." Stef began, unsure of how the girl would react, but deciding that the sooner they knew her reaction, the sooner they could respond to it.

Mariana by this point was looking from one mother to the other, trying to gauge what they were going to say.

"You have an appointment with Dr. Rosier in about 45 minutes" Stef continued, nervously watching her daughter. When she was met with no reaction, she almost wished the girl had thrown a fit, just so she could hear her voice again.

"But before we go, you need to eat and if you can, I'd like you to take a shower." Lena continued as she brought the girl's hand to her lips and kissed it. "Ok, honey?"

Mariana bit her lip. She could feel the tears building up again. She hated those tears. They seemed to never stop. However, with both of her mothers looking at her with such pity and concern, she knew she had to respond, or they would continue to talk, which would most likely result in the tears coming free again. So, she nodded her head, but remained under the covers.

Both mothers smiled at the response and began to get up. "I'm gonna head downstairs and get some food for you and Cal. How does soup sound?" Lena asked as she started towards the door.

This time, Mariana didn't even nod her head. She just bit her lip and focused her eyes on the floor.

"I think that sounds great, mama." Stef said for her daughter before sending her wife a smile.

Lena smiled back. "Ok, my loves. I'll have it ready for you two when you come down." She said before leaving the room.

Stef, who was now standing next to her daughter, tilted her head to try and match the gaze of the child. "Shower now? Then we can get some soup after?"

Mariana reached her hand out of the blankets and grabbed onto her mother's arm. She gave her a look of fear, of confusion, and of worry.

At this, Stef knelt down next to the bed and laid her head next to her daughter's. "Do you trust me?" This time, she waited for a response. When a nod finally came, she continued.

"Then trust me when I say I am not going anywhere, and that you will get through this. We will get through this."

As one more tear slipped from the girl's eye, she nodded again.

"You just have to trust that."


	13. Chapter 13

**Life is crazy, aint it? Sorry for** **the delay, but here is a longer chapter. Also, this is a filler chapter, which is not my best work in any means, but I needed to get things set up for the next few chapters.**

* * *

Stef helped her daughter slowly stand up from The bed. As the girl swayed, Stef put her hands around her for protection.

"Take your time baby" Stef said gently as Mariana try to push through a dizzy spell.

Stef knew she needed to get food into her daughter and not just a few bites of yogurt and fruit that they had better to eat once they got home. It was starting to worry both moms, as she was already so small. They knew how sick she could get from skipping meals.

Finally, after gaining a steady composure, Marianna started towards the bathroom, though, she had a difficult time keeping herself upright.

Steff supported her as she slowly made her way to her moms bathroom. Stef kept at her daughters pace- though she was ready to take over if need be.

As they reached the shower curtain, Stef reached over to grab a towel. Wanting to continue on her own, Marianna try to step into the shower. However her weekend to state caused her foot to hit the side of the tub and as a result she started to fall forward. As an instinctive reaction, she held out her arm to brace herself. Pain seared through her body as her leg and arm make contact with the tub.

Stef wasn't quick enough to get to her daughter before she had to stop herself, but it took her only a second to grab the girl gently by the armpits as soon as she saw the incident.

Marianna crumbled from the pain and exhaustion, Stef gently guiding her down onto her lap instead of on the cold bathroom floor.

Stef look to her daughter as silent tears roll down the girls cheeks.

"Are you OK my love?" She asked, though as she expected, she got no response.

Stef side as she rested her own head on top of her daughter's and slowly rocked her as she felt the silent sobs rack the girl's body.

* * *

Downstairs, Lena had just finished pouring the now warm soup into four bowls when she heard a small thump from upstairs.

Furrowing her brow, she decided to see if her wife needed any help, and made her way up to her room.

As she reach the top of the stairs, the kids bathroom door opened and Callie stepped out. Lena could tell by her red and puffy eyes that the girl had been crying, but decided to let it go for the time being.

Instead, she smiled and asked "good shower?"

Callie nodded and continued to her room. However, before she could pass Lena, the mother put an arm out to stop the girl.

"I have soup on the table for you." She stated. "Once you're finished getting ready, I want you to eat some, OK, baby?"

Callie nodded again, but waited in case the older brunette had more to say.

Lena sighed. She hated the silence that seem to have taken over her usually lively home. "You know we love you, right?" She finally asked.

Callie felt tears prick her eyes, but nodded her head in response. "Yeah I love you too." She responded. Lena pulled the girl into her arms, knowing the team didn't want to talk, but needing to not only tell her how much she was loved, but show her.

Callie sighed into her foster mother's embrace and allowed herself to be coddled if only for a moment.

"I'm sorry" Callie suddenly said as she pulled away from Lena.

Lena simply smiled and kissed the girl on the temple. "Go get ready." She replied, knowing Stef would want to be present when they talked to Callie. "I'll see you downstairs" she added as the teen nodded before turning to go into her room.

Lena waited for her daughter to close the door before returning to her original destination.

As she open her bedroom door, she was surprised that the sound of the shower was not present.

"Stef?" She called out as she walked towards the bathroom.

As she made her way to the open bathroom door, her heart sank. Stef was slowly rocking her baby girl in her arms- the lack of towels and water indicating the girl didn't even make it into the shower.

"Mama's here, my love" Stef whispered into her daughter's ear when she sensed her wife enter the bathroom.

Lena cleared her throat as she sat down next to her girls. "Are you hungry? Soup is ready." The mother asked tilting her head to try and reach her daughters eyes.

The small brown eyes stared off almost in a trance. Lena wasn't sure if the girl even heard her.

Stef sighed in defeat before looking at her watch. She knew trying to get Marianna in the shower, get her ready, and something to eat before her appointment wasn't going to happen. She knew she needed to take charge- to make decisions and to get her family moving. As much as she wanted to hold her daughter, she knew that was not what the girl needed. She needed professional help- and Stef was determined to get it for her.

Stef snapped herself at her thoughts and responded to her wife.

"We'll be down in a few minutes, mama." She said to both her wife and daughter. "Shower can wait till we get back." She continued, clueing Lena into her thoughts. "Is Callie ready?" She asked.

"She's out of the shower. I told her to get dressed and eat something." Lena responded.

"Great. We will do the same!" Stef responded as she started to stand up, keeping her daughter and her arms. The teen hid her embarrassment in her mother's hair.

Stef carried Mariana back to their bed with Lena following.

"Maybe Mama can bring our soup up here while we get changed? Hmmm?" She asked as she placed the girl onto the bed. She smiled and tried to get any sort of reaction from the girl, but she was still staring off into space. The mothers exchanged worried glances, but Stef took a deep breath and continued to push through.

* * *

It had taken almost half an hour for Stef and Lena to get Mariana changed and another 10 minutes to battle with her to eat even a few bites of soup.

Thankfully, Callie had gotten herself ready and ate her soup while the moms were working with Mariana.

The girl quietly waited on the couch, editing some pictures on her phone as both moms grabbed their shoes, purses, and coats and led their daughters out to the car.

The short ride to Dr. Rosier's was eerily quiet. Typically, Marianna would be talking nonstop about the latest gossip or which new shoes she just had to have. But that car ride was filled with silence and the occasional cough or sniff from one of the passengers. Both moms hated how the silence had taken over. Though they had very little time to discuss how this process would work, they had a pretty good idea that Marianna would cling to them and refuse to talk. Callie would be the opposite – she would ignore them completely.

So, when the four women finally made their way into the office, both mothers decided to focus on one daughter at a time.

"I'm going to go check Mari in. Cal, why don't you find a seat? You'll probably be out here for a while since mama and I will be in with Mariana." Stef said before going up to the front desk with her arm around her youngest daughter.

Callie raised her eyebrow and surprise. She was sure they would want to talk to her. But she was happily relieved she was able to escape the guilt for a little while longer.

"You alright, love?" Lena asked, catching the girl's reaction.

Callie nodded before heading towards a chair and pulling her phone out.

Glancing over at her wife, who was finishing up signing papers, Lena followed Callie and sat down on the edge of the chair next to her daughter.

The teen pretended to be engrossed in her phone – though they both knew she was avoiding Lena.

"I'm not going to make you talk right now – but I need you to hear this." Lena began. "We know you're hurting and we know you're struggling to cope. It's OK to feel what you feel, but it's also OK to let other people know what you feel." She continued, glancing over at the girl – who remained at her stubborn form, the Lena could see her lip quivering.

"There is nothing that you can say that will make us love you any less. You deserve to feel better. I wish you thought you deserve to feel better too." Lena finished. She caught Stef's eye as the blonde gestured with her head towards Marianna. Lena Nodded, but before getting up, she placed her hand on her daughter's knee and added one more thing.

"The only person who you need to fix his whoever is in your head telling you those lies about you not being worth anything. And mom and I won't stop helping until you understand that."

Callie wiped away a single tear, but didn't look up.

"We'll be out in a bit, my love." Lena said as she got up, kissed her daughter on the head, and walk to her wife and younger daughter.

"What was all that?" Stef asked.

Lena looked back at her daughter and sighed. "Just trying to understand." She said simply.

Suddenly, the door opened and a small redheaded woman emerged from the doorway. "I'm Dr. Amelia Rosier. You must be Stef and Lena" she said, extending her hand out to the mothers.

"Yes, thank you." Stef said as she shook the extended hand. "And this is Mariana." She added, putting her hands on her daughters shoulders.

"Hi! Nice to meet you!" Amelia introduced herself to the young girl.

Stef gently lifted her daughter's chin with her finger to get the girl to acknowledge the woman.

Marianna forced out a small smile and nodded her head.

"OK. Come on in, ladies" Dr. Rosia said with a smile.

Stef gently guided her daughter into the room, followed closely by her wife. All three women not sure how this was going to go, but hoping for the best.

* * *

"Come on guys! At least pretend to try." Mike said as baseballs whizzed past Brandon and Jude, who were standing in batting cages.

Mike sighed. He knew the boys had other things on their minds, but he thought this would just maybe take their minds off of things for even a little bit.

Brandon, hearing his dad, focused on the incoming ball and hit it- though they both knew it wasn't near his best hit.

Jude put his bat down and stepped out of the cage. He looked at Mike with such sadness. Mike knew the kid had been through his fair share of misery throughout the years, and he hated that while he was going through yet another thing, the only person who he probably wanted to be with at the moment wasn't there.

Mike walked over to the boy who was now sitting, pretending to watch his brother. "Hey bud." The older man said, sitting down next to the young teen. "Rough couple of days, hu?" He asked, even though he knew the answer.

Jude looked up and nodded. He really did like Mike and appreciated his help, but it was hard to appear even a little bit happy when he knew what was going on with the rest of his family. His brand new family that he had just gotten. It wasn't fair. He just got adopted! He couldn't lose any more family members.

Mike noted the boy's frustrated demeanor, and understood that the boy was upset. "Hey, hows about we cut this short and go get some ice cream or something." He suggested. "Then we can check in on how your sister is doing." He added for good measure, hoping this would entice the child.

Jude nodded and forced out a small smile. "You sure it's ok with Brandon?" He asked.

"I'm sure he'd love some ice cream." Mike replied as he glanced over at his son who was basely making the effort to continue to hit the balls. "Come on, let's get your stuff." He said before calling over his son and explaining to him what was happening.

"You think we could stop by the hospital and see Jesus?" Brandon asked as the two older men put on their coats.

"Oh, B I dono. That's something you're gonna have to talk to your moms about." He replied, not knowing whether or not they wanted or were allowed to take the kids in.

"Fine." Brandon responded as he threw his bag over his shoulder and turned to walk away.

Mike held out a hand before his son could get too far. "Hey. I know this is tough, but you have to believe they're gonna be alright."

Brandon shook his head. "I just feel so helpless." He confessed. "I'm the oldest. I'm suppose to keep everyone safe." He said as he willed the lump in his throat away. When Mike tried to speak, Brandon held up his hands to stop him. "I know it isn't my fault and I couldn't have stopped them from getting hurt, but that doesn't make me feel any better." He felt a tear fall. "I know they piss me off sometimes, but they're my brother and sister. I couldn't live without them."

Jude, hearing Brandon break down, walked over to him and simply hugged his oldest brother. "Thank you for being my brother." He said simply.

* * *

"Thank you for fitting us in." Lena said with a sigh as she shook hands with the doctor. It had been a painful hour of pulling teeth with Mariana. The girl refused to speak. She simply clung to whichever mother was closer and stared off into space.

Dr. Rosier tried several different approaches, but it was clear to her that if the girl didn't want to speak, she wasn't going to speak. So, instead, she took the hour of time to talk to the mothers about what had happened. She knew that many times, the parents didn't take time to process the events themselves.

As the minutes ticked away from their hour-long session, Amelia could tell that she would need to see this girl several times a week, at least for the first couple of weeks. She made sure to inform both mothers of this observation, but not until after she thanked the young girl for coming and asking her to wait with her sister for a few moments.

It had taken a good 5 minutes for Lena, who Mariana was currently clinging to, to be convinced to let go and sit with Callie so the mothers could talk with the doctor. Lena promised that when they were done, she would come right out and be with her.

After discussing with the mothers her thoughts on how the first meeting went, and about her thoughts on seeing the girl at least two more times that week, she looked at her watch and smiled. "I'm sure you have places to be, so I won't keep you."

Stef nodded and stood up next to her wife, and also shook her hand. "Thanks. We'll try what you suggested to try and get her to talk before tomorrow." Stef said. "At 10, right?" She wanted to make sure that they had planned the correct time for their daughter's next appointment.

Amelia nodded with a small smile. "And I want to try and get her to sit with me alone, even for a little while." She stated, knowing that would be a difficult task, considering how clingy the girl had been for the past hour.

Stef smiled and raised her eyebrows. "Ha. That's gonna be a little tricky." She said, knowing her daughter would not like that idea.

"We can see how she is tomorrow." Dr. Rosier responded. "Don't push her too much today. She'll get there, it just takes some people longer. I will see you tomorrow." She finished as she opened the door to her office and gestured with a hand for the mothers to exit.

As soon as she saw her mothers emerge from the room, Mariana stood up. She grabbed her side and winced in pain, but she needed to get to her mothers.

Seeing her distress, Stef quickly made her way over to her daughter while Lena spoke a few extra words with the doctor.

"You girls ready to go?" She asked as she felt Mariana's grip tighten around her waist.

Callie nodded as she put her phone in her pocket and stood up.

"Maybe we can convince mama to let us get ice cream before we go home." Stef said in a whisper as she gently squeezed her daughter's shoulders.

Callie tried to force a small smile. The entire time she had been waiting, she had been thinking about what Lena had said to her. She wanted to let these two women in. She desperately wanted to. So she spent the entire time trying to convince herself to do something that showed she was trying. She continually reminded herself that she wasn't the one in the car accident- it should not be about her. She refused to be of any sort of burden- well more than she had already been- to these two wonderful people who actually cared about her.

"You coming, my love?" Stef's words pulled Callie out of her thoughts. The three other women were beginning to head to the door, but stopped when they saw Callie deep in thought.

"Yeah." She said as she took a deep breath and slowly followed her family out the doors.


	14. Chapter 14

**My apologies for the delay in updates! I didn't know where I wanted to go with this story. It is funny to see that I began this before the most recent season where Jesus is actually in the hospital. Please let me know your thoughts as to what** **should happen to Jesus, Mariana, or Callie. Peace, Love, The Fosters.**

* * *

"What do you say, my loves?" Stef asked as she backed out of the parking spot in the hospital parking lot. "A round of ice cream? I'm buyin'" she tried to joke.

Callie, still trying to force herself to let her mothers in, tried to comply. "That sounds good to me." She glanced at the other people in the car, "Uh I mean as long as thats what everyone else wants to do. I don't need ice cream." She was trying to be more open, but she didn't want to sound demanding.

Stef smiled at her through the rear view mirror. "Ok so that's 2 out of the 4." She turned towards Lena, who seemed to be lost in her thoughts. "Lena?" She called out and waited as the brunette turned her head- signaling that she was now listening.

"Hmm?" She asked, trying to push away whatever thought she was in.

"Ice cream?" She asked as she glanced from her wife to the back seat. "Get something to eat." She emphasized the word eat as she looked more towards her youngest daughter, hoping to hint to her wife that possibly the girl would eat ice cream- which was better than nothing.

Lena understood what her wife was doing and played along. "Yeah. Sounds great. I'm in." She turned around in her seat. "How about you, Miss Thing?"

Mariana bit down on her lip as she stared at her mother. She didn't think she could put anything into her stomach without it coming back up again. She had no desire whatsoever to eat and she hated that her mothers were trying to force food into her.

"And after, maybe we can go visit Jesus." Stef brought up, watching as her daughter's face lit up the slightest, though she still didn't respond to the ice cream question.

"Sound like a plan, love?" Lena asked the girl.

After a few moments, Lena gave her daughter a small smile and looked towards Callie. "Well, majority rules. Ice cream it is!"

Callie smiled at the woman and nodded her head. "Can't wait."

* * *

"Mama said they're getting ice cream." Jude said as he ended his call with Lena.

The three boys had just gone out for pizza and Jude wanted to see when his moms and sister would be back home. During the call, Lena informed him that they had just left the doctor's and were heading to get ice cream at their favorite ice cream place. She suggested that he, Brandon, and Mike join them- mainly because she knew how much Jude and Callie wanted to be with one another.

"Ok Let's head over" Mike replied with a smile. "You in B?" the man asked, waiting for his son, who seemed to be deep in thought, to respond. "B?"

Brandon looked up after realizing both his father and younger brother were looking at him.

"Sorry what?"

Mike furrowed his brow at his son's seemingly distracted manner. "Your moms are going to get ice cream with your sisters. You want to go?"

Brandon looked over at Jude, who tried to look neutral about his thoughts, but the older boy could tell his brother was itching to be with the rest of the family.

"Yeah. Totally." He finally responded, forcing a smile and turning towards his younger brother. "Let's go."

The two boys made their way to the car as Mike followed behind. He knew there was something brewing in his son's head, but figured he would wait to ask until the two were alone. He checked the table once more to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything and continued after the boys.

* * *

"Callie!" Jude yelled out as he ran to his sister the moment they entered the ice cream shop.

The brunette, who had just put her bowl of ice cream down, smiled and quickly met her brother halfway. "Hi bud!" She whispered into his ear as she pulled him in for a hug.

"Hey, guys." Stef called out to Brandon and Mike who entered the shop just moments after the young boy.

The older men walked past the two hugging siblings, knowing they needed a moment to themselves, and joined the rest of the family.

"How were the batting cages?" Stef asked as she slid over in the booth to make room for her son and ex.

Brandon shrugged. "Same."

Mike gave Stef a look, but forced out a smile when his son looked at him.

"You want some ice cream, B?" He asked before the two sat down.

Brandon looked over at his moms. "Yeah. Sure. I'll be right back." He decided, though he would have be perfectly fine without some. He wanted to be any less of a hassle as possible.

Mike sat down next to Stef as both parents watched him walk off.

"Rough afternoon?" Lena asked from the other side of the booth. She had Mariana tucked under her arm and was stroking a finger up and down her arm. The girl's bowl of vanilla ice cream slowly melting in its cup in front of her. The moms had insisted that she at least get a small cup of vanilla, but so far, it had remained untouched on the table.

Mike looked over his shoulder at his son, who was deciding between two different flavors of ice cream, and then to Jude, who was still in the embrace of his sister. He sighed with a slight chuckle. "You could say that."

The adults fell into an unfamiliar silence as they all became lost in their own thoughts.

"...to see Jesus?"

They were pulled out of their thoughts at the sound of Jude's small voice. He and Callie had returned to the table after Callie had told him the idea of going to see Jesus that was brought up in the car ride over.

"What, baby?" Stef asked, not catching the first part of the question.

"When are we going to see Jesus?" The boy repeated, playing with the spoon for the ice cream that Callie had given him.

Stef looked over at her wife and youngest daughter, the elder looking back at her, and the younger staring off into space.

"Hows about as soon as we finish eating? Sound good?" She asked with a smile.

The boy nodded in response and began to eat the ice cream.

"Mariana, love. Can you have a few bites please?" Lena asked gently as she tried to reach her daughter's eyes.

The girl, however, remained staring off as if deep in thought.

Lena sighed. This had become all too normal for the girl lately and she hated it. She picked up the spoon and scooped up a small bite of the treat before moving her shoulder, causing the girl to pick up her head.

"Come on, sweetheart." She practically begged as she held the spoon up to the girl's mouth.

When Mariana slowly lifted her head to make eye contact with her mom, Lena's heart broke. The girl's eyes were flooded with tears.

"Ok, love. It's ok." Lena cooed as she put the spoon and ice cream back into the bowl and pulled her now crying daughter back into her arms. "Shhh, love. Everything's going to be ok." She continued as she began to rock the girl.

Lena looked up at Stef with watering eyes of her own. She didn't know how to fix this. She hated how broken her family was.

Stef, understanding the look in her wife's eyes, inhaled deeply before looking at her three other children. "Let's take these to go." She said with a smile as she grabbed her purse, prompting Mike and Brandon to both get up from the booth.

Slowly, each family member put their jackets on and gathered up their ice cream.

"I think we could all use a Jesus fix right about now. Hmm?" She asked as she pulled Mariana into her side while Lena threw her jacket and purse on over her shoulder.

Stef could physically feel the girl relax at the sound of her brother's name, though she noticed when they began to walk, the girl seemed to sway. Her small hand grasped onto Stef's jacket, seemingly just to be close to her mother, though it also seemed like the girl needed extra support with walking.

As she thought about how she was going to get her daughter to eat and talk to them, she felt her wife's hand slip into her free one. Stef turned to look at the brunette, squeezed the hand slightly, and smiled.

"Let's go see our boy."


End file.
